The Return
by Denise Allen
Summary: The resurrection of a Gatchaman character
1. Intro

The characters of Gatchaman are the property of Tatsunoko and Sandy Frank Productions, and their respective copyright holders.  I am making no profit from this story, and am writing for pleasure.

This story is not strict cannon. The timeline and character development have been altered as needed or desired for the story. The characters are a combination of BoTP and Gatchaman original characters. I have retained the original Gatchaman names.  I know there are OOC scenes in this story.  It is intentional.

This is my first story so please be gentle.  Constructive criticism is welcome.  Flames are not.

Denise


	2. Jun's Journal

June 13  
  
It can't be after so many years. I'd forgotten about the damn thing it had been so long. The program I had made, it's come to life years after his death. How is this possible and why so long? Why wouldn't he have come back? Certainly if only to let Hakase and Ken know he is alive.  
  
I did a check of the news articles from Huntworl that the crawler program picked. Reports about accidents destroying or delaying the new airport construction. Huntworl, this is a bad thing. There have been too many to be accidents. The only reason it would be him is if something is on the rise again. We killed Katse and Sosai seems to be gone.  
  
June 30  
  
Interesting I finally got some free time to do a search on ISO's databases for Kentaro Washio. As I expected most of the stuff is classified. Still I can get around it.  
  
Hakase never filled out an official death report. That's definitely not like him. He was always one for paperwork. All the I's dotted and the T's crossed. This was his best friend, and he never even does the paperwork. Just knowing Hakase he would want to make sure the record reflected Red Impulse's actions, so the story could be preserved.  
  
What really was interesting were the files on how Red Impulse came into being. Stuff that I don't think Ken knows but should definitely read. It seems Kentaro had been doing deep undercover work in Huntworl. No one had heard from him in over three years. Hakase had started wondering if he was alive.  
  
He finally came back to report. He learns his wife is ill, and his son has been drafted into the KNT project. That must have been some reunion between old friends.  
  
President Cane and Hakase ordered him back into Huntworl. He initially refused because of his wife and then Hakase reassured him everything was OK. (Maybe on second thought Ken shouldn't read these files.) I guess at the time Hakase must have believed it would all work out. I can't imagine him being that cold. Cain yes, but Hakase no.  
  
Well, needless to say it didn't work out all right. Sayuri got really sick. Kentaro gets back another two years later to find his wife is dying. This is all from Kentaro's and Hakase's reports. According to Kentaro's journals, he actually went and saw his wife before she died. It's nice to know she didn't die alone. I wish Ken knew. Maybe I'll tell him someday.  
  
Well, that's when it gets interesting. Kentaro refused deep undercover operations after that, unless he could have contact with Ken. Cain threatened him with court marshal and he still refused. Hakase worked out the compromise. Red Impulse was what he became. Kentaro would still do the undercover missions, but he would get help. This way he no longer had to go years without seeing Ken.  
  
Cain didn't really have an option. It seems Kentaro may have been the only one to ever best the man. They decided telling Ken about his father was too dangerous at the time. If Kentaro got caught, they could use Ken to force information out of him. Galactor was killing ISO agents and their families. This was the only safe way to get the information they needed at the time. It left him untraceable, but allowed him to be around Ken.  
  
From reading Kentaro's reports and journals he wasn't exactly pleased with the setup, but it was the best they could do.  
  
Well, more later on the history of Red Impulse. I have medical rounds at the hospital.  
  
July 3  
  
I had an interesting conversation with Hakase. I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep this a secret. He doesn't know about the web crawler.  
  
I am starting to really wonder what is happening. I received flowers and an envelope with a Huntworl postmark today. If this is a trick it doesn't make sense. There is nothing to gain by it. Huntworl has always been a sore spot among us. When Hakase noticed my sideline "research", he simply asked me how my external project was going.  
  
I guess I should talk with him. Maybe he'll offer some insight into this. Either that or he'll order me off this totally. I doubt that though or he would have done so already. 


	3. Jun's Surprise Package

Jun walked into Hakase's office. He wasn't at his desk, so she went into the lab through the door at the back of the office. Nambu was busy looking at the latest results from his mantle research project. Since the end of the war with Galactor, Hakase had gone back to research as much as possible. He seemed happy with the results of the latest tests.  
  
"Hakase," Jun paused as he looked up at her. "Hakase, I'm sorry to interrupt you. Remember you had asked about my research project?"  
  
He nodded waiting for her to continue.  
  
"Could I talk with you in private please? Something has come to my attention, and I need your help with it."  
  
"Is it important? Or could it wait until later?"  
  
"It is important Hakase. I have rounds later or I wouldn't be asking you now."  
  
Nambu nodded and led Jun through the lab back into his office. He sat and waited for her to proceed.  
  
Jun took some photographs and a flier from her briefcase and handed them to Nambu. They were surveillance photos of a large military airbase being built underground . Nambu's eyes widened at the implications of what he saw. He also studied the flier from a Huntworl airport.  
  
"How did you get these?"  
  
"They were mailed to me from Huntworl about two weeks after my web crawler program started going crazy."  
  
"You made a web crawler program about Huntworl?" Hakase asked confused.  
  
Jun looked away embarrassed.  
  
"This will sound stupid. It sounds dumb even to me. Shortly after Red Impulse died I wrote a program looking for news articles about terrorist activities. I was looking for missions of the type that Red Impulse squad used to carry out." Jun paused looking nervous "I broke through some of the security files on Kentaro Washio and the Red Impulse squad. I created a profile of what their missions might look like in the media. I simply ran it then combing articles from all over."  
  
Nambu interrupted.  
  
"Why did you do this?" He seemed perplexed.  
  
"I was foolishly hoping that we were all wrong. I know it was impossible. He had just defied the odds so many times. I hoped..." Jun left the rest unsaid. Hakase would only call her foolish.  
  
"I forgot about it." She continued "It started turning up articles all over the place about Huntworl all the sudden."  
  
Hakase nodded understanding.  
  
"I foolishly hoped when Katse tricked us." He said softly "I didn't want to believe it either."  
  
"Then what is all this Hakase? Why me of all people? I never knew Red Impulse well. I barely talked to him. He always went to you or Ken."  
  
"Let me look and we'll see if we can't figure it out. Do you have anything else?"  
  
Jun nodded affirmatively.  
  
"Hakase, I received a card and photos in a sealed envelope. I saved the envelope. It had a Huntworl postmark. I'd like to try to see if I can lift any DNA from the envelope. The mailer might have sealed it. The odds are very low. But I'd like to try."  
  
"Was there any message or anything else in the envelope?"  
  
Jun shook her head no. "The message was a generic friendship card message. Nothing unusual at all."  
  
"OK bring it here to the lab. We'll see what we can find."  
  
She pulled out the envelope and card . She had already bagged them. "Hakase, I bagged them once I realized how important they were."  
  
Hakase took the envelope intrigued. He loved nothing better than a puzzle to be solved.  
  
"Let's go look then shall we."  
  
Jun took several samples of the envelope along the glue line where the mailer would have sealed the envelope. Isolating and amplifying the DNA was almost instantaneous.  
  
She ran the fragments through the profiler. Unbelievably there was actually something there to see. Luckily when sending the letter someone had sealed the envelope.  
  
Hakase's pulled up a profile of both Kentaro's and Ken's DNA. If there was a match they would know in a few minutes. The computer ran both profiles looking for matching sequences. A few minutes later the computer beeped indicating the analysis was complete.  
  
"Hakase!" Jun couldn't believe what she was seeing.  
  
Nambu looked up from where he was working with the envelope. He had sprayed it with a resin to trap any clues the sender might have left behind.  
  
He came over and looked at the results. The DNA profile was Kentaro's and definitely related to Ken. It matched perfectly. He stood their stunned for a minute.  
  
"Hakase did you manage to get anything from the envelope?"  
  
"Yes, there are a few skin flakes, hair and fingerprints to check." He ran tests against the profiles on the computer. Again they came back positive.  
  
"Hakase this doesn't make sense. If this is Red Impulse, he would know how to send an envelope without leaving traces of himself everywhere."  
  
"I agree. There are two possibilities. One: it's a trick though I can't explain why. Two: he wants to be found and is contacting you in the least visible way possible." Nambu walked away thinking to himself.  
  
"We've been tricked before." Jun stated the obvious. "But with his own DNA and skin that would be hard to do."  
  
Nambu nodded seeming to have reached a decision. He summoned Joe using the wrist communicators we all still wore.  
  
"Joe, I need you in my office now."  
  
"Hakase, is that really you?" Joe sounded surprised. It had been a long time since any of us had been summoned that way.  
  
Jun waited knowing Nambu would not want to explain the mission twice. She had a feeling they were taking a trip to Huntworl.  
  
Joe came charging into the office fifteen minutes later.  
  
He looked at Jun curiously. Then he sat down next to her waiting for an explanation.  
  
"It feels just like the old days." Joe said  
  
"Just how much like the old days you have no idea." Jun thought wryly.  
  
Nambu began briefing them.  
  
"You and Jun will be going to Huntworl. You will be posing as husband and wife."  
  
"What is this all about Hakase?" Joe asked. "Nothing good ever happened in Huntworl."  
  
Nambu showed Joe the photos of the airbase that was being developed.  
  
"Galactor?" Joe almost spit out as he looked at the photos.  
  
"We don't know. We know Sosai is finally dead. What this might be we don't know. We have reason to believe it is a real threat. You and Jun are to find the base."  
  
Nambu paused while Joe looked at the photos and digested the information before telling him the rest.  
  
"You are also to help find the person we believe took the photos."  
  
Joe looked at Nambu. There was something in his tone of voice that got his attention.  
  
"You are to find Red Impulse if possible" he continued.  
  
"What!?" Joe sputtered. "What are you talking about Hakase?"  
  
Nambu continued. "We have reason to believe there is a possibility that Red Impulse is alive and hiding in Huntworl."  
  
Joe shook his head in disbelief. Hakase wasn't one to believe such a thing on a whim.  
  
"OK, then let's find rat bastard and bring him home."  
  
The rat bastard came out automatically. It was Joe's name for Red Impulse. They all had adopted it over time.  
  
Jun laughed. She hadn't heard "rat bastard" in a while. Joe almost made it sound like an endearment now.  
  
"Joe! His name is not rat bastard! Do I make myself clear!?"  
  
"Yes, Hakase." Joe mumbled sheepishly.  
  
"Hakase, do we have permission to truss him up like a fowl if he gives us any trouble?" Joe asked innocently.  
  
"I'll talk with you two tomorrow after I have made plans and gotten everything together." Nambu dismissed them.  
  
Nambu looked up as they were leaving.  
  
"Joe, if you think you can bring Red Impulse in here all trussed up, you have obviously forgotten a lesson or two he taught you in the past." Hakase stressed with a glimmer in his eyes.  
  
Jun just laughed and added softly. "Now that is something I would pay to see."  
  
Even Nambu laughed at that. "Get out of here both of you now." he exclaimed exasperated.  
  
Before they left Jun had one question.  
  
"Hakase, do we tell Ken?"  
  
"No. not yet. Let's find out what is happening first." 


	4. Huntworl

Joe and Jun met in Dr Nambu's office early the next morning.  
  
"Jun, here is the DNA analyzer. If there has been any cloning, or reverse engineering this should be able to tell the difference." Nambu stated.  
  
She nodded looking at the machine. They had several similar ones over at the hospital, but nothing this advanced. As a medical resident at the hospital with a sub-speciality in cloning, she would be the technical lead on the mission. Joe was along to provide security and tactical assessment of the base.  
  
Nambu showed her how to use the machine. He had loaded all the necessary medical records into the machine.  
  
"This is a recon only mission. Is that clear?" They nodded. "Find the base and Red Impulse if you can."  
  
They went over the layout of the area, and had their cover and reservations in place.  
  
With only two of them, they did not want any real trouble, before they understood what was happening in Huntworl.  
  
They were going as a married couple on honeymoon. While there they were going get enough attention drawn to themselves, so Red Impulse could find them. If it was really him, he would find them.  
  
Joe and Jun arrived in Huntworl the following day. They had driven the G-2 at Hakase's insistence. He had apparently updated it, and added a few toys for Joe. He seemed happy to be driving it. Jun just buckled her seatbelt and closed her eyes as Joe drove. He was having fun driving the new improved vehicle  
  
Nambu had made finding them painfully easy for anyone with any high level connections to ISO. Jun cringed as they checked into the hotel using their real names.  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Joe Asakura," The hotel clerk checked them into the honeymoon suite. "newlyweds I see. Well, you have the prized honeymoon suite. I'm sure you will both be very pleased."  
  
Joe leered. "Yes, we can't wait to see it. Isn't that right sweetie?" Then he placed his hand possessively on Jun's behind.  
  
"There had to be a better cover than this." Jun thought, as she devised several creative ways to kill him later.  
  
Outwardly she smiled sweetly pretending to be embarrassed. "I can't wait until we're alone." She said very softly.  
  
Joe didn't miss the threat behind her words. The hotel clerk just smiled.  
  
"Follow me, please." The bell boy led them to their room.  
  
The suite was very impressive. Nambu had spared no expense for their cover.  
  
Joe scanned the room for bugs once the bell boy left them alone. Once he was done, Jun turned and belted him for the earlier insult. Not too hard, but enough to get his attention.  
  
"Ooof... what was that!?" Joe asked startled.  
  
"You were getting just a little too into your role there, Joe." Jun said sweetly.  
  
"Oh...if looks could kill..." He grinned at her.  
  
"You would have been dead a long time ago." She retorted grinning at him.  
  
"Come on, Jun. I was just having a little fun. We have to make it look real. Like the sleeping arrangements, we'll have to share the bed. Don't worry... I'll be on my best behavior." He promised his voice tinged with amusement.  
  
"You'd better or you'll have one very annoyed swan to handle." She threatened.  
  
"Not to mention one very angry eagle." Joe added laughing.  
  
"Come on." He said "Let's look at the maps and see where the base could be. Then, let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."  
  
She nodded and they sat down and poured over the maps.  
  
Several hours later they were driving out by the small airfield in the flier. As they drove past it, they noticed several custom high speed planes. They looked like something Red Impulse would fly. One in particular was all in red.  
  
They stopped and looked at the planes from the roadside. Joe tried to get a closer look when a local security guard came and chased him from the field.  
  
"This is private property. You'll have to leave or I'll call the police." he threatened.  
  
"We're sorry we were only admiring the planes." Joe said.  
  
"You have to leave. Now!" The guard postured moving his hand toward his gun.  
  
"Come on sweetie. Sorry, we're not looking for trouble." Jun apologized to the guard.  
  
They got back in the car.  
  
"Well, that should have gotten us noticed." Joe smiled at her.  
  
"He was too well armed for a private airport guard wasn't he?" Jun asked.  
  
"He was armed with standard Mafia syndicate issue from a few years ago." Joe said. "So, maybe the syndicate or its remains is still active in Huntworl."  
  
"Joe, let's see if we can find where the recon photos were taken before we lose the light."  
  
He nodded and drove toward the mountain in the photos.  
  
"According to Hakase this is Mt. Heza from the southwestern side." Jun said as she read the intelligence description.  
  
"Joe stop here. This looks like it's about the right angle." She handed the photos to Joe to examine. He agreed with her assessment.  
  
Huntworl was known for its scenery and outdoor activates. They had packed day bags to do some hiking pretending to be tourists.  
  
Joe ran the thermal scanner Nambu had installed in the G-2.  
  
"The heat signature is enormous. This base is huge." He mumbled mostly to himself. He saved the scans.  
  
"Let's go have a look at this airbase." I said.  
  
They took their packs and cameras and started hiking. There was a little hiking trail that led in the general direction they needed to go.  
  
They climbed for several miles when Joe signaled to stop near a small waterfall. He pretended to take photos while checking what appeared to be a cave.  
  
"Jun, look over here." He motioned and handed her the camera. Inside the cave the infrared scanner detected five men.  
  
They took photos and readings. They didn't want to appear too interested in this one spot. The sun was also starting to set. Joe motioned to start back down the mountain. They had collected information from this side of the base. Tomorrow they would gather information from the other side.  
  
They hiked down and drove back to the hotel. They were hoping they had been spotted.  
  
Back at their room Joe entered first and gave the all clear sign. Everything was exactly where they had placed it. He even rescanned the room for bugs. It appeared that no one had been here yet. Hopefully they would see Red Impulse or some sign of him soon.  
  
They walked down to a little outdoor café took a seat and ordered dinner and champagne.  
  
"A bottle of the house best, sir." The waiter came back looking very pleased.  
  
"To our one and only honeymoon." Joe whispered in Jun's ear pretending to be intimate. "Besides it's on Hakase."  
  
Jun laughed and whispered back. "Let's see how he reacts when he gets the bill."  
  
They were eating dinner and generally having a good time when Joe leaned forward again.  
  
"I think we are about to have company." He motioned to several plainly dressed men coming toward the cafe.  
  
At that moment several Huntworl military security units converged on the cafe. Joe and Jun were ready to go into action thinking they had been noticed. Instead the security officers went for a man wearing sun glasses several tables over drinking coffee.  
  
He started to go voluntarily. Just as he exited the cafe he looked back at them and nodded. Then he started to level the men in the security unit. He was good. Too good to be just an ordinary guy. 


	5. Red Impulse

Joe and Jun jumped up from the table reaching the same conclusion at the same time. They had just found their man, or rather he had found them.  
  
He took off around the corner with the Huntworl units in pursuit. The Huntworl police didn't seem to care about Joe or Jun at all.  
  
They ran rapidly in the opposite direction. Joe yelled as soon as they were alone. "Go bird style and up to the roof!"  
  
They changed and went after the Huntworl units and their mystery man.  
  
"Well, he hasn't changed," Joe griped as they followed the police vans across the rooftops. "just follow the trouble."  
  
"There he is!" Jun pointed down an alleyway where Huntworl security had trapped the man. He was giving them one hell of a fight. He couldn't take them all though."  
  
Joe signaled for Jun to take the officers on the left. She nodded and waited for his signal.  
  
"I hope we aren't making a huge mistake." He echoed her thoughts as they swooped down on the Huntworl officers.  
  
They took out the row of officers surrounding the man. He jumped back startled, but adjusted quickly. They made quick work of the units that had trapped him.  
  
"Well it's all or nothing." Joe grumbled as he took off with the man in tow.  
  
Soon they were on the rooftops away from the alley and safe from the security units for the moment.  
  
Joe dragged the panting man to his feet. This was not Red Impulse. They could see that now that they were close to him.  
  
"Who are you?!" Joe demanded shaking the man before dropping him on the roof.  
  
"Ease up!" Jun yelled "Give him a chance to answer."  
  
Joe nodded and stepped back a little.  
  
The man caught his breath and then began.  
  
"I work for a friend of yours who sent the lady here the letters." He said.  
  
Jun nodded understanding and Joe interrupted.  
  
"Do the police know who we are or who we're looking for?" He demanded.  
  
"To the first question: no, not yet. If you go back though they will come after you eventually. To the second question: He told me to tell you this. Only you know his and his son's real identity. He said you would understand. He would like to meet with you as soon as possible."  
  
"Either Red Impulse is being very careful, or this is a very elaborate trap." Jun thought.  
  
"We need to go back and get our equipment first." Joe stated.  
  
"That won't be necessary. Our friend has already collected it from your room. I was sent to provide a diversion."  
  
As proof he pulled a camera and several weapons out of his pocket. He handed them to Joe.  
  
"Our friend has the rest of your equipment at a safe location. It isn't safe for you to go back to the hotel. If you would follow me, I'd like to get to a safe location as quickly as possible." The man stated waiting for a response.  
  
"Our car is special we need to collect it." Joe added.  
  
"I'll make sure it is done." The man promised.  
  
"You won't be able to collect it. I'll tell you how once we meet with our friend." Joe said agreeing to go along for now.  
  
The man seemed satisfied with that answer.  
  
"Thank you by the way. My name is Jones."  
  
He led the way across the rooftops into a seedy old part of town. Once they were clear of the search perimeter, they went back to street level.  
  
They went down an old rickety flight of stairs into an abandoned building. Jones hit a hidden panel on the wall. It slid back to reveal a hallway with several guards posted at the entrance.  
  
Jones placed his thumb in a scanner, and then waited while his retinal pattern was scanned.  
  
Joe was impressed. "The technology is first class. Not revolutionary, but whoever runs this is careful." He thought.  
  
They were led down several levels to an office and asked to wait. Jones left saying he would return shortly. He came back about ten minutes later with all their equipment and weapons.  
  
"I think you'll find it all in order. Our friend said you'd want to inspect it to make sure it was untouched." He handed the DNA scanner to Jun and the weapons to Joe.  
  
Jun checked it over. Everything was as it should be. She verified that no one had tampered with the machine. Red Impulse's records were there and complete. Nambu had encrypted the records, and no one had tried to access them.  
  
Joe looked the weapons over and gave Jun a gun. She had the yo-yo, but took it in case.  
  
Jones left and they waited. Jun looked around the room. Ken had taken her to Red Impulse's cabin once. She looked for any similarities.  
  
The office was austere like the cabin. It had a similar color pattern, an oversized oak desk like at the airfield, and a leather couch and chairs.  
  
It felt similar to the cabin. "But any office could be decorated this way." Jun reminded herself.  
  
Jones came back and apologized that their friend would be another thirty minutes.  
  
That did it for Joe. He was already on edge. They were too exposed in his opinion. He exploded at Jones.  
  
"You tell rat bastard if he wants to talk to us he has five minutes or we're out of here!" Joe screamed as a shocked Jones jumped back.  
  
Joe reached for his weapon with one hand and grabbed Jun with the other. Joe went for the door before Jun could stop him.  
  
Jones went to the desk and set off an alarm.  
  
Joe pulled the door open to find men running at them guns drawn.  
  
"Please stop!" Jones yelled at Joe.  
  
Then a familiar deep commanding voice came from down the hall.  
  
"Back down and leave them alone." The voice ordered from around the corner.  
  
Joe and Jun froze. They would recognize that voice anywhere. Joe stood his weapon pointed at the corner.  
  
The men stood down with their guns at the ready. Then he walked around the corner. He wore an all black outfit with a visor.  
  
Jun and Joe stared at him in shock. He looked, sounded, and moved like Red Impulse.  
  
He saw them and came to a dead stop. He just stared at them for a moment, and then a smile slowly covered his face.  
  
Then he spoke.  
  
"Rat bastard is it after all this time, Condor? I thought by now you would come up with something more creative." He spoke condescendingly.  
  
"It definitely sounds like him." Jun thought.  
  
Joe voiced Jun's thoughts exactly.  
  
"Well, at least he's still the same egotistical bastard he always was." Joe said grinning at him as he holstered his gun.  
  
Red Impulse laughed that hearty laugh that they remembered so well. He had taunted them mercilessly with it during training years ago. It sounded absolutely wonderful at the moment though. 


	6. The Real Red Impulse

Jun studied him carefully. She wanted him to remove the visor. She would remember his face. His eyes were burned into her memory.  
  
Ken wasn't the only one who had nightmares about the last time they had seen him. Hers were about those haunted eyes, and the tears in them as he looked at his son. She had watched in horror, as he threw his son across the room and went to his death.  
  
Red Impulse motioned to the office and they entered again. He followed and closed the door behind them, after giving orders no one was to disturb them.  
  
Red Impulse sat behind the desk, and stared at them for a moment. Then he removed his glasses.  
  
Jun studied him. Those were the eyes she remembered. It was him. She had no doubt. She stared in disbelief.  
  
Joe stared at Red Impulse shocked. He was waiting for the trap to spring. He felt in his gut that this was real though.  
  
Red Impulse broke the spell finally speaking.  
  
"I'm sure you must have many questions. I'll do my best to answer them. I suspect it's going to be a long night." He said as he got up and went to the coffee pot.  
  
He poured three cups of coffee and placed one in front of each of them.  
  
The thought of Katse and the poisoned coffee flashed through their minds simultaneously. Red Impulse was about to take a sip of coffee when he noticed their horrified looks.  
  
"You don't like coffee?" He asked.  
  
The whole situation was too unreal for Joe. He knocked both cups off the table and leaped across the table at Red Impulse.  
  
"Maybe you should drink first Captain!" He yelled out and shoved the cup to Red Impulse's lips.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you boy?!" Red Impulse yelled.  
  
Red Impulse turned the attack as he and Joe fell to the floor wrestling.  
  
Jun was immediately on both of them attempting to restrain them before someone got hurt.  
  
"Stop it both of you!" She commanded.  
  
They paused stunned for a moment at her tone. She spoke quickly before they started again.  
  
"He doesn't know! He couldn't know think about it. He wasn't there. Katse was."  
  
Joe considered her words as she continued.  
  
"Think about it. Only the team knows. It was never recorded anywhere." She stated.  
  
"Katse was where?" Red Impulse growled as he rose eyeing Joe.  
  
Joe got up still at the ready.  
  
Jun told him an abbreviated version of the story.  
  
"Galactor and Katse tried to impersonate you several times. Katse almost had Gatchaman fooled. He nearly poisoned him with a cup of coffee."  
  
Red Impulse's face filled with horror which quickly turned to rage.  
  
"He was missing some vital information, so he failed." Jun stated.  
  
Red Impulse nodded understanding.  
  
"He didn't know who Ken was to me." Red Impulse said.  
  
The answer seemed to satisfy Joe, and he sat down on the chair.  
  
"Sorry." He mumbled  
  
Red Impulse nodded. "Given everything it's understandable. Shall we start again? Coffee or would you prefer tea instead?"  
  
Red Impulse's sarcasm felt comfortable.  
  
"I assume you have a lot of questions for me." Red Impulse repeated.  
  
They nodded. Jun went first.  
  
"First, I would like to do a medical work up on you, Captain." She stated.  
  
"Let me know what you need me to provide you." Red Impulse offered.  
  
"Hakase was very specific Captain. I need to perform the physical and tests myself." Jun looked directly at him.  
  
He raised a surprised eyebrow at her. "You need to do the exam?" He asked.  
  
"God, this man could be so infuriating at times." Jun thought  
  
Joe laughed.  
  
"Captain, Hakase was very specific. In the years you've been away, I've earned a medical degree. My expertise is in cloning." She paused. "Captain, you are not going near ISO or Gatchaman, until I approve." Jun warned him.  
  
Red Impulse looked surprised for a moment.  
  
"I see the swan has become a hawk in my absence." He laughed.  
  
He looked at Joe who just shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"As the lady said we have our orders." He stated.  
  
"OK, let's get this over." He said uneasily.  
  
"What will you need?" He inquired.  
  
"I have all the medical equipment. I just need a place to set it up." Jun stated.  
  
Red Impulse nodded and got up. "I think the medical laboratory will do. Follow me."  
  
He put his visor in place as they left the room.  
  
They followed him down two levels to the medical wing. He entered a small medical laboratory. The equipment looked fairly recent and the room was well equipped.  
  
"Will this meet your needs?" He asked Jun.  
  
"Yes, thank you. It's going to take me a few minutes to get everything ready." Jun said and went to work.  
  
"Captain, could I ask for some food and drink? Our dinner was rudely interrupted earlier." Joe mentioned looking at Red Impulse  
  
Red Impulse laughed "Of course, sorry about that. I needed some time to get your stuff before the police figured out your identities."  
  
Joe looked at him curiously. They had made their arrival very obvious to anyone who was looking for them. They knew Red Impulse would find them. They didn't think anyone else would be looking for them.  
  
"I'll be back with some food in a few minutes" He said.  
  
Red Impulse returned shortly with a cart loaded with food.  
  
Both men were starting toward the food, when Jun interrupted.  
  
"Captain, I need blood and tissue samples. Do you mind if I get them now? They can process while we're eating."  
  
He nodded and came over to where Jun had set the equipment. She took a blood sample.  
  
She apologized for the needle. Usually a needle was unnecessary, but she had to run a lot of detailed tests. Nambu had insisted on it.  
  
"We have to run several tests with a lot of sample. I'd rather only have to do this to you once." She explained.  
  
"At least you don't enjoy inflicting pain, doctor." He stressed the doctor.  
  
Joe chuckled softly in the background.  
  
"Captain, it is unwise to aggravate the person holding the sharp objects." Jun said in a soft voice.  
  
Joe roared.  
  
"Who replaced the sweet girl I remember from several years ago?" He asked Joe.  
  
"She grew up." Jun stated.  
  
"I'm all done here, Captain." She said several minutes later.  
  
Red Impulse stood and headed for the food. Jun loaded the computer and started the tests.  
  
They waited in silence for the results. Red Impulse left his visor off in their presence, and started eating.  
  
Joe watched Red Impulse's face carefully. He could have trapped them by now.  
  
"If this is a trap, we'll know soon enough." He thought and decided to eat the food. Jun and Joe ate from the same servings as Red Impulse.  
  
The computer beeped indicating the initial results were done.  
  
Jun stood and walked over to the computer. It was Kentaro Washio's DNA all right. She scanned the initial tissue sample results as well. They matched. There were no initial signs of cloning. The detailed tests and the physical exam would verify that for certain.  
  
"Captain." Jun interrupted. "I need to do a physical exam to compare against our medical records."  
  
He definitely did not seem pleased with this. He retrieved a robe from one of the lab drawers.  
  
Jun motioned for Joe to stay with him and turned waiting for him to disrobe.  
  
She heard a bit of mumbling from the behind her. "He doesn't sound very happy." She thought smiling.  
  
"OK, I'm ready." Red Impulse grumbled.  
  
Jun turned around and her face spoke volumes. The image of Red Impulse in a hospital gown would remain with her for a long time.  
  
Joe took one look at Red Impulse and roared laughing. He couldn't resist commenting.  
  
"Who knew he had such great legs? Let me get the camera. We'll want proof for later." Joe stated innocently.  
  
"Out!" Red Impulse howled.  
  
Joe only laughed harder.  
  
"Sorry sir, where the lady goes so do I. I'm her security." He managed to choke out laughing.  
  
Joe didn't seem that sorry. Jun turned her face away and regained her composure. When she turned back her expression was carefully neutral.  
  
"Captain, I'm sorry for any discomfort this may cause, but I need a visual confirmation of old injuries listed in the medical records." Jun said.  
  
Joe chuckled but wisely held his tongue.  
  
She started comparing his medical record with old injuries. There were several bullet wounds from where he had been shot.  
  
There was a stab wound to his side. His left shoulder had been both shot and stabbed at some point in the past. The list went on as she compared external scaring with the medical records.  
  
She ran the portable medical scanner over him. Stab wounds had penetrated his spleen and kidney. There was scar tissue matching the old internal injuries.  
  
It was amazing he had survived these injuries.  
  
There were also indications of newer internal injuries not in the records.  
  
"It was miracle these wounds hadn't killed him." She thought.  
  
She examined him. The medical records all matched.  
  
Red Impulse had seen several surgeries. He had obviously suffered extensive burn damage and internal injuries to his body. They had done an excellent job of regeneration. It must have been extremely painful for him. The wounds were within the time-frame of the V-2 incident. She made a note for Hakase.  
  
The detailed DNA analysis was done.  
  
She looked for DNA damage and scar tissue in the samples. Clones were rarely made with scars intact. It was possible, but difficult.  
  
She scanned the DNA for manipulation or accelerated growth. There was frequently damage in cloned DNA and abnormalities in the packing of the DNA.  
  
It would have taken someone years of research just to start making a clone this complicated. The medical documentation and test results confirmed it. This was the body of Kentaro Washio scars, bruises and all.  
  
"Amazing, welcome back Captain!" She thought. There was no doubt Kentaro Washio was alive!  
  
"You can get dressed now, Captain. I'm done." Jun said as she turned away.  
  
Joe looked at her expectantly. The way she had said "Captain" caught his attention. "My God! He's real." Joe thought.  
  
"OK. I'm done now." Red Impulse said.  
  
He waited expectantly looking at Jun for a moment. "So, am I me?" Red Impulse finally asked.  
  
"Based on the lack of personality, I would say that's a yes." Joe commented.  
  
"Show some respect boy or I'll teach it to you again." Red Impulse threatened.  
  
Jun smiled at him.  
  
"Welcome back, Captain. Yes, without a doubt physically and genetically you are the original." She told him softly.  
  
He smiled at her. A real smile that softened his whole face.  
  
"It's good to be back." He said quietly. 


	7. The Story

Red Impulse got up and put his visor in place. He motioned for them to follow him.  
  
Jun and Joe got up and left the medical laboratory. They followed Red Impulse up several levels.  
  
From what they had seen this "base" was well designed. It seemed to be about 8-10 floors. There was security everywhere. You didn't move around without security scans and id checks at every point.  
  
Red Impulse led them to a meeting room. They sat down and waited for Red Impulse to begin. Red Impulse took off his visor and looked directly at them.  
  
"Where would you like me to start?" He asked.  
  
They both had the obvious question in mind. How was he still alive?  
  
"Captain, I need to record this for Hakase. I hope you don't mind." Jun said as she set a recording device on the table.  
  
"Go ahead. I think Dr. Nambu would like a record of this anyway knowing him." He smiled slightly.  
  
Joe started first.  
  
"Captain, how about an obvious question first? How are you alive?" Joe asked.  
  
Red Impulse started at the beginning.  
  
"The rocket had a primitive escape capsule on it. I escaped in the capsule shortly before the rocket blew." He offered as a very brief explanation.  
  
"How come ISO didn't find you or any wreckage from the capsule?" Joe interrupted him.  
  
"They might have found wreckage. You would have to ask Dr. Nambu if anything was found."  
  
"We weren't aware there was a search. Hakase never mentioned it." Joe watched Red Impulse carefully waiting for his reply.  
  
Red Impulse looked surprised.  
  
"I can't give you any details after the rocket exploded. I was knocked unconscious. I only know what was told to me when I woke up five months later." He paused.  
  
Joe nodded.  
  
That explained the burn damage and newer scars Jun found during the examination.  
  
Jun encouraged him to continue. "Go on Captain, please." She said softly.  
  
"I awoke five months later in a hospital laboratory run by a man named Dr. Rafael. He was an ex-Galactor ISO had tried to recruit before he simply disappeared."  
  
Joe and Jun looked at him stunned.  
  
"We know who Dr Rafael is, Captain." Jun stated quietly. "Please continue."  
  
Red Impulse looked at them curiously, but they said nothing.  
  
He continued after a moment of silence.  
  
"For the next several months I was semi-conscious. By the time I was fully aware I'd been through several surgeries and tissue regeneration. Recovery took a long time. My body had atrophied. I needed to retrain it again. It was about two years before I was fully functional again."  
  
That made sense to Jun given what the exam had shown.  
  
"Where did you go once Dr. Rafael released you?" Joe asked  
  
"My first instinct was to go back to Crescent Coral. I tried to contact Dr. Nambu several times. I was shot at twice trying to make contact. Each time Nambu never appeared and someone took a shot at me. The third time I sent one of my operatives instead. He was ambushed and killed."  
  
They looked at him stunned.  
  
"How long after the V-2 incident was this?" Joe asked.  
  
"About two and a half years after was the first time attempt. It took me a while to collect enough information to make safe contact again."  
  
"How did you attempt to reach Nambu?" Joe asked.  
  
"There were several pre-arranged call signals for the Red Impulse squad. I also tried to reach Nambu directly he never received the message. I tried three times over two years. After the third time I knew it was too dangerous to make contact."  
  
"Do you know who was responsible?" Joe asked.  
  
"I know one of the agents from my side. That party is dead. The mole in ISO still exists though. I don't know who he is. Only that it has to be someone high either in the Red Impulse squad or in intelligence."  
  
"Do they know who you are?" Joe asked worried Red Impulse's or possibly Gatchaman's identities had been compromised.  
  
"No, I don't think so. I've been careful. I am presumed dead, and intend to stay that way for now except for the team. I don't wish to be shadowed again. It is too dangerous now. There is the possibility that whoever this is knows relationship between Gatchaman and Red Impulse. I am afraid they could use it as a trap against Ken or myself."  
  
Joe agreed with Red Impulse.  
  
"Galactor tried to trap Ken exactly this way before. I think for now you should remain dead, Captain." Joe said  
  
Jun nodded in agreement. "I think caution is warranted for now, Sir."  
  
Red Impulse nodded knowingly. "Agreed."  
  
Joe changed the topic.  
  
"Captain, I spent some time with Dr Rafael when I was hurt at Cross Karakoram. How did I avoid seeing you?" He asked.  
  
"You saw me, you just weren't aware it was me." Red Impulse replied. "You were recovering at the time. Rafael had said it would be detrimental to you. I believed him at first."  
  
Red Impulse paused. He looked uneasily at Joe and went on.  
  
"I learned later what he had done to you. There was nothing I could do then it was too late. I'm sorry I would have stopped him, if you had wanted."  
  
He paused and looked at Joe. "He did a good job. I watched you carefully for a long time to make sure he hadn't changed you."  
  
Joe and Jun looked at him stunned.  
  
"You know." Joe choked out.  
  
"I know." Red Impulse nodded.  
  
"I was worried at first. He had assured me, you had complete free will, but I didn't trust him by this point. His hatred had eaten him alive. His thinking was distorted beyond reason."  
  
Joe nodded at this. Some things started to make sense. Joe had never figured out how Rafael got his intelligence. Now it made sense, it had Red Impulse's stamp on it.  
  
"I'd always wondered were Rafael got his intelligence. It was too good for his abilities." Joe said. "It all makes perfect sense now."  
  
Red Impulse nodded and explained.  
  
"It was a natural pairing. We both wanted Galactor dead. It gave me someplace to put my energies. I helped him to establish a working network. He gave me knowledge of the inner workings of Galactor."  
  
Red Impulse paused and looked at Joe before continuing.  
  
"You made my job easy, Once I realized you weren't going to run off half- cocked, I just had to provide you with information. You generally did the rest. You also started acting as a backup to the team. I owe you for that a few times over." He stressed  
  
Joe laughed. "Don't blame me if he has your temper and lack of intelligence."  
  
"Don't remind me. I wanted to wring his neck for a few of the stupid stunts he pulled." Red Impulse shifted uneasily.  
  
"You and me both." Joe added.  
  
"I thought all of you knew better than that." Red Impulse stated.  
  
Jun spoke.  
  
"We do." She said softly. "Ken just forgot for a while. It came back to him."  
  
"No one is immune from being stupid including me." Red Impulse thought ruefully.  
  
He looked at her, and his face softened. She saw several emotions cross his face.  
  
"True enough." He said.  
  
Jun looked down the disk was almost full. They had been talking for hours.  
  
Jun interrupted "I need to change the disk. We can probably all use a break as well."  
  
Both Joe and Red Impulse got up and stretched.  
  
Joe checked the time. "Captain, we've been up almost 24 hours now. We're going to need some rest soon."  
  
Red Impulse agreed. "Let's get some sleep now. I have some guards on the G-2. It will be safe for now. They'll alert me if the security forces try anything."  
  
Joe looked slightly startled. In all excitement he had forgotten about his car.  
  
Red Impulse put his visor back on and led them down several levels to the living quarters.  
  
"These rooms are connected. I figured for security reasons you'd prefer the arrangement." He stated and then headed for a room across the hall.  
  
Joe nodded. He entered and checked out the rooms thoroughly. Satisfied they were clear, they both fell into bed exhausted. 


	8. Coming Home

Red Impulse knocked on their door early the next morning. They answered and were soon meeting with Red Impulse.  
  
Red Impulse led them to his personal living quarters. "There was a resemblance to the air shack and the cabin." Jun noted to herself.  
  
Red Impulse ordered breakfast for the three of them. As they waited he and Joe discussed getting the G-2.  
  
"We'll retrieve it tonight." Red Impulse told Joe. "I have some people watching it for now. They haven't gotten into it yet."  
  
The food arrived and they started to eat.  
  
Red impulse outlined the details as they ate.  
  
"They have two guard units on the car. My team will handle the gate. You move the car." Red Impulse stated.  
  
"We'll go into the garage in bird style if it will help. If your people clear a path, I'll get the car out of there." Joe paused "That leaves one problem. Where do I hide the G-2?" Joe looked at Red Impulse expecting an answer.  
  
"I'll store it in a safe place until you're ready to return to Utoland." Red Impulse offered.  
  
Jun broached what she thought was an obvious idea.  
  
"Captain, when you contacted us were you planning on coming back to ISO with us?" She asked.  
  
"Yes, eventually. When I come back is your decision." He stated.  
  
Jun continued with her earlier point.  
  
"Captain, after we retrieve the G-2 is there any reason you can't come with us? You have the intelligence on the airbase. It's important for Hakase to meet with you soon and review it. Is there anything essential keeping you here for a few days?"  
  
Joe seconded the idea.  
  
"It would be a good time. I think I can get us out of Huntworl. We can rendezvous with the Phoenix out of town."  
  
Red Impulse nodded in agreement with the plan.  
  
"I was just thinking the safest place to store the G-2 is in Utoland." He grinned.  
  
We were interrupted when Jones appeared to talk with Red Impulse.  
  
Red Impulse pulled Jones aside for a moment with Joe. They discussed plans to retrieve the G-2. Jones left to make the necessary preparations.  
  
They finished their food while Red Impulse and Joe went over the details Red Impulse had gathered about the airbase.  
  
Red Impulse didn't believe the airbase was a direct Galactor threat. The wars with Galactor had left war-lords and factions all over the region. Most of these caused local misery, but weren't capable of a large threat to stability as a whole.  
  
This airbase was different. It was large, and if it possessed what Red Impulse suspected it would disrupt the balance that existed.  
  
ISO was not aware of this base. The trouble was ISO should have been aware of the base. ISO was active as a type of watchdog for just this type of thing.  
  
Since the end of the war ISO had been down-sized, and KNT had been put on standby status. Apparently someone was using this to their advantage.  
  
The thing that disturbed Red Impulse the most was that ISO had missed this base. This he couldn't explain. ISO had to have been infiltrated at the highest levels. He wondered what else ISO might have missed. He wanted to stop this before it got a chance to get big again.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------- It was dark and Joe and Jun were in bird style. Red Impulse had changed into a black outfit and covered his face. They waited outside the hotel garage where the G-2 was parked. Two Huntworl units guarded the G-2. One unit was at the entrance to the garage and one was near the car itself.  
  
They creeped to the aisle across from the G-2. Joe and Red Impulse took the guards near the G-2. Jun was to prevent the guards in the truck from raising an alarm.  
  
On Red Impulse's signal they leapt into action. Jun's yo-yo went through the side window smashing the radio. A concussion charge in the front of the truck and knocked out the occupants.  
  
She waited several minutes. She didn't hear any alarms and assumed Red Impulse and Joe were successful.  
  
Joe came up in the G-2 with Red Impulse crammed in the back of the car. Jun leaped in the front seat.  
  
"If Red Impulse's men had done their job at the front entrance this should be an easy getaway." Jun thought as they drove toward the front of the garage.  
  
There one of the guards stepped out. For a second she thought they had failed. Then she recognized Jones as he signaled the all clear to Red Impulse.  
  
Joe and Red Impulse had loaded the car with all the vital equipment they could carry. Jun had the DNA scanner and the recorder. Joe took off and on Red Impulse's instructions stuck to the back roads. Thirty minutes away from the city they heard a warning go out on the radio.  
  
Joe contacted Hakase for assistance.  
  
"Hakase, we're coming in and we need help. We have company with us. The border has been closed as of five minutes ago." He yelled into his communicator.  
  
"Acknowledged. I have your location keep going north by northwest and we will rendezvous with you. Nambu out."  
  
They drove another twenty minutes when they saw a Huntworl unit in pursuit. The Phoenix was coming they just needed to avoid them until then.  
  
"Hang on!" Joe shouted as they went airborne. The Huntworl unit crashed into a tree trying to avoid the G-2.  
  
Both Red Impulse and Jun remembered to breath again as the Phoenix appeared overhead seconds later.  
  
Jun saw Red Impulse tense as the G-2 docked with the Phoenix. Jun wondered if Hakase had scrambled the team without Ken. She doubted it would be possible on such short notice. Ken would know something was wrong, since they had not mobilized in over a year.  
  
Red Impulse was still wearing his mask. He ripped it off when he heard Hakase call down to us. He reached for a pair of dark glasses in his pocket. He checked himself when he remembered where he was.  
  
Jinpei called out "What is happening down there, Onechan?"  
  
Jinpei was trying to peer down and Hakase was blocking his view.  
  
"Jinpei go back to the main cabin." Nambu said.  
  
"Hakase..." Jinpei protested.  
  
"Now, Jinpei." Nambu ordered.  
  
Red Impulse laughed softly. Jun heard Hakase's sudden intake of breath as he recognized the laugh.  
  
They heard footsteps behind Hakase. They were too heavy to be Jinpei's.  
  
Jun knew for certain Ken was up there now. Red Impulse heaved a breath, but said nothing and waited.  
  
"Hakase we have company." Jun emphasized. "Is it OK to come up. Is the area clear?"  
  
Nambu did not order Ken away from the area.  
  
"Jun, you and Joe come out first." Nambu ordered from above. "You below stay there."  
  
She could understand why Hakase wanted them out first, especially Joe. There was no predicting Ken's reaction once he learned about their passenger.  
  
They crawled out of the G-2. Jun handed the DNA scanner and recorder to Nambu. He looked at them with the question in his eyes.  
  
Joe nodded affirmatively.  
  
"Jun?" Hakase asked.  
  
She nodded in agreement with Joe.  
  
Ken watched perplexed. It was obvious he wasn't pleased not being informed about the mission. He looked at them waiting for an explanation.  
  
"You two want tell me what this is all about?" Ken inquired.  
  
Hakase motioned for Joe and Jun to stand on either side of Ken. They moved in place without a word.  
  
"Hakase! What the hell?" Ken bristled.  
  
"Come out." Nambu ordered.  
  
Red Impulse crawled out of the tube. 


	9. Meeting Again

Joe instinctively moved a step closer to Ken at the ready.  
  
Nambu was the first to see him. His eyes widened in shock, even though he knew who to expect. "My God."  
  
Several emotions crossed Nambu's normally impassive face. You could clearly see recognition, disbelief and joy all at the same time.  
  
Joe and Nambu had obstructed Ken's view slightly.  
  
Nambu moved out of the way, so Ken had a clear field of vision. They tensed waiting for his reaction.  
  
Kentaro locked eyes with his son for the first time in years. He stood there absolutely still like if he moved Ken would disappear.  
  
Ken stared uncomprehendingly for a moment at his father. Then he let out an audible hiss, and his eyes widened in shock as he finally realized who he was seeing.  
  
"NO! Not again." He screamed. He immediately went for Red Impulse. Joe and Jun reached and grabbed him.  
  
Ken's gaze never left Kentaro.  
  
"Who are you?!" Ken demanded.  
  
Nambu moved to Ken. "Ken! We'll explain it all." He looked back at Kentaro "Kentaro- my friend. How--?" Hakase choked on the words.  
  
There were tears in his eyes.  
  
Ken's head snapped over to Hakase. It registered finally. "This is real! My God this was real!" Ken's mind was in a daze.  
  
Ken's head snapped back and met his father's gaze this time comprehending what was happening.  
  
"How?...H- how is this possible?" Ken reached out toward his father.  
  
Kentaro grabbed Ken as he swayed unsteadily on his feet. "Easy son." he said softly. "I'll..."  
  
Kentaro had finally spoken. There was no doubt it was him.  
  
"Father?!" Kentaro grabbed Ken as he nearly fell to the floor.  
  
"Ken!" Kentaro yelled in fear as his son toppled. There was no response from him.  
  
"Get him to the medical bay now." Jun ordered.  
  
Red Impulse grabbed him and immediately headed for the back of the ship After Jun.  
  
"Put him on the bed." Nambu followed immediately in the room.  
  
He grabbed the scanner as Jun checked his vitals.  
  
"What the hell happened?" Joe demanded as he stormed into the room.  
  
Nambu moved over to Joe.  
  
"Let her work. We'll know in a minute." he said.  
  
Jun looked over at Red Impulse who looked almost as pale as his son.  
  
"He'll be fine, Captain. It's from the shock of everything. He didn't hit the floor thanks to you."  
  
"He damn near hit the floor because of me, Swan!" He growled back.  
  
Nambu moved over toward Kentaro.  
  
"I should have prepared him. I could barely believe it myself. I thought for sure it was a trick. I had no idea--"  
  
Nambu was interrupted by Ken's laughter.  
  
They both ran over as he tried to rise.  
  
"Stay still for a moment Commander." Jun said softly.  
  
"I'm OK, Jun." He protested.  
  
"I know just give me a minute. I'm almost done." Jun said  
  
Ken nodded.  
  
"Jun, I'm OK." He finally said. His tone was firm. His eyes had hardened. He was Gatchaman again.  
  
She nodded and moved away letting him up.  
  
His eyes moved to Nambu. "Hakase, I'm sorry I lost it for a minute. You couldn't have prepared mefor this. No matter what you told me."  
  
Pale blue eyes locked with blue-gray eyes. Without the visor Ken had a clear view of his father's face.  
  
"How long have they known?" He addressed his father in a flat tone.  
  
"Two days for certain." Kentaro said.  
  
He looked to Joe and Jun. They nodded.  
  
"You didn't want to tell me before you knew for certain?" He looked to Nambu.  
  
Hakase nodded. He seemed uneasy.  
  
"Thanks for trying to spare me." He said softly and smiled at his mentor.  
  
Nambu looked greatly relieved.  
  
Ken turned back to Kentaro. "What do I do with a father who just won't stay dead?" His tone was cold, and the question was bitter.  
  
"Ouch! He's angry." Jun thought.  
  
Kentaro's eyes widened in surprise for a moment. Then his face went neutral. "I've never been dead before. You tell me." Kentaro snapped.  
  
"Rat bastard!" Joe started moving toward Red Impulse.  
  
"Joe stop!" Ken snapped at him.  
  
Ken took a deep breath to try to bring his emotions under control. His mind was swirling right now. He felt empty, nothing. "It must be the shock. Where the hell had his father been? Why was he here now? So many questions."  
  
He looked up at Nambu. "Hakase, could you leave us alone please?"  
  
Nambu looked over to Kentaro. He nodded in agreement.  
  
Hakase motioned for us to leave.  
  
Ken stared at Kentaro for several minutes saying nothing.  
  
He was sitting on the medical bed. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood.  
  
Kentaro watched carefully. His son was clearly in control again. He breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
Ken noticed his father's regard. "I won't fall over again." he promised.  
  
Kentaro nodded.  
  
"You frightened me there for a moment." Kentaro said softly.  
  
Ken looked at his father's face. His eyes softened a little.  
  
"I could say the same." Ken answered.  
  
"Yes, I could see that you might." Kentaro chuckled softly.  
  
Ken smiled. "At least he sounds like the same Rat Bastard." Ken thought  
  
"I assume you being here involves one hell of a long story?" Ken arched an eyebrow at his father.  
  
Kentaro chuckled softly and nodded.  
  
Ken went on.  
  
"I'd imagine it also involves us blowing up something or invading someone."  
  
Kentaro laughed aloud. "At least I'm predictable."  
  
"This is going to take some time. Why don't we save the story until we're at ISO. We'll be landing soon." Ken said.  
  
Kentaro nodded.  
  
"Good enough for now." Ken agreed.  
  
Kentaro realized his son was carefully maintaining his control. He was right this was not the time to push. There would be time later.  
  
Ken got up and motioned for Kentaro to follow.  
  
They went back to the main cabin. Ken resumed his seat in silence. Kentaro stood at the back of the Phoenix in the shadows.  
  
Jinpei kept looking back with a scowl on his face. He didn't realize who Red Impulse was yet, but he sensed the tension in Ken.  
  
"Aniki?" he questioned softly.  
  
Ken gave him a not now look. Jinpei backed down.  
  
"Jinpei we're about to dock. Help Ryu please." Jun ordered.  
  
Usually the now seventeen year old would have yelled back. He knew Ryu needed no help. He simply nodded and walked over to Ryu.  
  
The ship landed in the bay and they waited for Ryu to complete the docking sequence.  
  
Ryu had been busy flying the ship. As soon as he was done, he turned a curious gaze at Red Impulse. Ken and Red Impulse locked eyes for a second as Red Impulse reached in his pocket for his dark glasses.  
  
He understood immediately who they were carrying. He felt the tension between Ken and Red Impulse and realized this time Red Impulse was real.  
  
"Unbelievable." he mumbled to himself  
  
Jinpei followed miffed. He was the only one not in the loop.  
  
Joe laughed at Jinpei. "Come on short stuff. I'll fill you in later."  
  
Jun handed the recorder and the DNA scanner with the results to Hakase. Kentaro put his glasses in place. He and Ken followed Hakase down the hall to his office. 


	10. To the Airfield

They entered Hakase's office. He closed the door and turned on the anti-surveillance devices.  
  
Without a word he turned on the DNA scanner and looked at the results of Jun's examination. He double checked tissue and DNA results. He triple checked for any chance of cloning or accelerated DNA growth. There was none.  
  
"My God." He still seemed stunned. The evidence was undeniable. "Kentaro how is this possible? We looked and looked for days. There wasn't even enough wreckage to put any of the capsule back together."  
  
"Apparently Rafael found me first." Kentaro stated.  
  
Ken stood there digesting the fact that Hakase had known his father might be alive. There had been wreckage. He had searched for his father and never said a word. The anger built in Ken. Hakase had lied to him again!  
  
"Dr. Rafael?" Nambu asked stunned.  
  
"Yes, he was there when I landed from what he told me." Kentaro said. "Jun made a recording it's in the there. I'll fill in any details you ask."  
  
All these years he had stayed away. Ken's voice shook with fury. "Why didn't you tell us you were alive? Why did it take so long?"  
  
He practically spit the words at his father.  
  
Kentaro looked at his son. Ken was barely keeping control. Kentaro couldn't really blame him.  
  
"I was injured" He directed his comments to Ken. Nambu could watch the recording. He was concerned with Ken. " I was badly burned and had internal injuries from the explosion and re-entry. I was comatose for five months due to the injuries. The physical will confirm this."  
  
He paused and let his son absorb the information.  
  
Hakase looked at the examination records nodding affirmatively. "It's here Ken."  
  
Kensat taking all this in. It was overwhelming. Kentaro continued.  
  
"When I first came to I was semi-conscious for several months. I had several surgeries and regeneration once they determined I would survive. I don't really remember much of this period. Nearly a year had gone by at this point.  
  
After that I had another year of rehabilitation. My body had atrophied and needed to be rebuilt again. At first I couldn't walk and had trouble talking. It was two years before I was able to even try to contact anyone."  
  
Nambu looked at the records. Dr Rafael had saved Joe by rebuilding him. There was no mention of anything mechanical here at all. Apparently the craft had been sturdy enough to survive re-entry with Kentaro's body mainly intact. He had been severely injured the physical confirmed his story. It was a miracle he had survived at all according to the physical.  
  
"Where were you during this time Kentaro? Why didn't you call me? You know I would have come." Nambu asked him.  
  
Kentaro turned to Nambu.  
  
"I was in Rafael's lab or doing intelligence for him mostly. I tried to contact you Kozi. I tried several times. Every time I tried someone shot at me. One of my operatives was ambushed trying to arrange a meeting. I tried several times before I gave up. After that I had no choices left. I decided to stay dead, until I could come up with something better.  
  
Now we need to deal with the airbase. I don't have the network to do that. It's too big. Even coming here might be a risk, but I had no other choice."  
  
Ken looked at his father in horror. He had been trying to contact them. All this time they thought he was dead.  
  
Ken plopped down on the couch and put his head in his hands. All this time wasted grieving for him.  
  
"Who did this? Ken asked in horror.  
  
"I don't know for certain. One of my men Taro was involved. I took care of him. I don't know where it ends. There has to be someone in ISO or Red Impulse squad. You should have seen this base. There is no way the satellites could have missed it."  
  
Ken looked to Nambu for an explanation.  
  
"We knew we had a traitor for a while. We never could track it down. We know they led the team into the trap that killed Masaki and Onishi. We don't know who set us up. We thought with the war over and the unit disbanded that was the end of it."  
  
Kentaro's face clouded over. He knew his former wing mates had died. He didn't realize how.  
  
"I want this person! I want to wring their neck."  
  
"We'll get them." Ken promised. "They died saving us. We'll get them." His voice was soft and deadly.  
  
"Tell us about the base" Nambu said.  
  
Ken's insides went cold. His father had come in because of the airbase. He'd had no option he'd said. Otherwise he might have never seen him again.  
  
Kentaro took out several data tapes and a folder of photographs. He handed them to Nambu.  
  
"It's all here. It's not Galactor. It's the leftovers from the war staffing it at the moment. Whoever is organizing this is bigger than that though. It is definitely connected to the Huntworl government. I don't know who is the head of this monster is though. I've tried and I can't get high enough to figure it out."  
  
Nambu took the data and put the tape in the drive. Nambu was studying the schematics and photographs of the airbase. Kentaro was right. They never should have missed something this size. ISO had a problem, a big problem.  
  
Ken glanced at the data. His heart wasn't in it at the moment. His father was thorough if nothing else. He was always good at his job Ken thought bitterly.  
  
Ken looked at his watch. It was late. They couldn't do much more tonight. He felt tired beyond bearing. With a sigh he got up to leave.  
  
"Hakase, it's late. I'll be at the airstrip."  
  
Nambu looked at his watch. It was late. "Until tomorrow then." He agreed.  
  
Nambu knew that this was difficult for Ken. He hoped Ken would give Kentaro a chance. He suspected though he didn't show it, Kentaro was having a very difficult time also.  
  
There were so many questions that needed to be answered. There were so many years to make up. Miraculously Kentaro could finally provide his son some answers. Nambu just hoped Ken would allow him the chance.  
  
Kentaro watched as Ken turned his back and walked toward the door to leave.  
  
Ken stopped at the door. Unsure of the impulse that made him do it, he asked "Are you coming or not?"  
  
Surprised Kentaro looked up at his son. His back was turned to him.  
  
Nambu motioned Kentaro forward. It had taken a lot for Ken to make the offer. Now was not the time to question him for the reason.  
  
Kentaro looked uncertainly back at Nambu. "I'll come." Kentaro said very softly. He got up and put his glasses back in place and followed Ken.  
  
Ken led Kentaro down to the elevator and out to the parking garage. He led him to two-seater sports car and motioned for him to get inside.  
  
Ken said nothing and didn't even look at his father as they drove.  
  
Kentaro left him to his thoughts. The airstrip was about 45 minutes away as he recalled. He leaned back in the seat. He was tired beyond reason. He had barely slept since this whole thing had started. He knew this would be hard. He'd had no idea exactly how hard.  
  
He had missed his son. He had wanted to come home. He had tried. When he realized someone else was aware of him, he had hidden. He didn't know whether being here right now was putting Ken in danger. He hoped not. He wanted nothing more than to be here right now.  
  
The pain and anger was still rolling off Ken. Kentaro had no idea how to diffuse it. He sighed hoping for some inspiration from somewhere. He really had no idea how to talk to his son. "They didn't write a manual for this situation." He thought wryly.  
  
Ken looked at his father. His eyes were still covered with the glasses. He seemed tense. At least he wasn't completely unaffected. He had no idea what his father was thinking. He was an expert at hiding his thoughts, hiding himself. He only let you see what he wanted seen. Ken wanted to talk to him. He didn't have the faintest idea where to start.  
  
Ken chuckled softly to himself as he realized the absurdity of the whole situation. It was too bizarre to believe, but here he was caught directly in the middle of it.  
  
"Hmmm?" Kentaro grunted by way of a question.  
  
Ken looked at his father briefly. "I was thinking about this whole situation. I'd tell it to the psychiatrist, but they would have me committed."  
  
Kentaro chuckled at the observation. "Are you saying I'm driving you insane literally?"  
  
"Did you ever see the old show, The Twilight Zone 1?" Ken asked. "I feel like I'm in the middle of an episode."  
  
"As I recall, you made me suffer through a marathon of it one time when you had gotten hurt training."  
  
Ken had forgotten about that. He chuckled at the memory. It was a comfortable thing to remember. "You grumbled something about getting even with Hakase for making you stay with me if I remember correctly."  
  
"I think he was getting even with me for putting you there in the first place." Kentaro added amusement in his voice.  
  
"It was only a minor concussion." Ken added.  
  
Kentaro laughed a real laugh for the first time. He had enjoyed spending that time with his son. He tried to hold on to such moments. There were too few of them.  
  
Ken looked at him. "I'm surprised you even remember. I'd forgotten about those videos."  
  
"Sometimes it's the little things that stay with you."  
  
Ken pulled into the driveway and down the path to the shack.  
  
They got out of the car and headed inside. Kentaro removed his glasses and looked around. The cabin had been upgraded since he had last seen it. It still had much of the furniture he had left in place. It had been fixed up, painted and generally maintained better than previously.  
  
Ken had placed his own personal stamp on the place without eliminating Kentaro's earlier presence. Kentaro noticed the two seemed to blend well together.  
  
1. "The Twilight Zone" TM & Copyright © 2002 by UPN. All Rights Reserved. 


	11. Father and Son Talk

"Do you want anything to drink or eat?" Ken asked. I haven't eaten since this morning. I'm going to make sandwiches if you'd like something.  
  
Kentaro nodded and followed Ken into the kitchen.  
  
"You have food in your refrigerator?" Kentaro asked surprised.  
  
Ken laughed. "Jun spends a lot more time out here now that the war is over. She keeps the place stocked. She also made me fix it up a bit."  
  
Kentaro laughed. "Good for her." He looked at his son questioning him without the words.  
  
"We're serious." Ken shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze. Ken turned away and began to make some sandwiches.  
  
"Good. She's a good woman. Challenging I suspect, but that's good." His father seemed happy with the news. Ken didn't know why it should matter. It was really none of his business after so long, but still he felt pleased with his father's response.  
  
Ken made ham and cheese sandwiches and then pulled a couple of beers from the refrigerator. He gave sandwiches and beer to his father and sat down across from him at the table. They ate in silence with their own thoughts. Neither sure what to do next. The day had been hard for both men.  
  
Ken yawned loudly causing Kentaro to laugh. "I think it's past your bedtime young man."  
  
Ken laughed. A memory of his father saying the exact same thing to him as a child flashed through his mind. His face turned somber as he remembered why his father was really here. He had not come back for his son.  
  
Kentaro looked at Ken as hurt flashed across his face. "What is bothering you, son?" he asked  
  
Ken sighed. This man could always read him too easily. He looked at his father. "Why did you really come back?"  
  
Kentaro looked away for a moment as he composed his thoughts.  
  
"I had no choice." He said softly.  
  
"You wouldn't have come back otherwise. Would you?" Ken accused his voice rising.  
  
"If it wasn't safe for you no, I wouldn't have come back. I would have found some other way to get the information to ISO and you."  
  
There he had said it. It was finally out.  
  
Ken got up and collected the dishes. He didn't want to deal with this anymore. "It's late." He said not looking at his father.  
  
"Ken?" His father called.  
  
He froze at the sink.  
  
"I wanted to come back. I've tried before. It wasn't safe. Coming back would have put you and the team in danger. If someone thought I was still alive, they would have used me to trap you. I couldn't allow that. If not for me, then at for you as Gatchaman. I had to keep you safe. There was no choice. I'm sorry, son."  
  
Ken turned his voice shaking, his blue eyes flashing hurt and rage. "Did it ever occur to you let me know somehow you were alive? Some hint or something. Do you know how many times Galactor tried to trap me? And each time like a damn fool I nearly fell for it."  
  
Ken turned around and braced his hands against the sink. His eyes were filled with tears. He didn't want his father to see him like this.  
  
Kentaro watched as Ken's frame shook. He got up and walked slowly over to his son. He placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I'm truly sorry son." Kentaro said softly.  
  
Ken whirled and punched his father catching him completely off guard. "You son-of-a-bitch!" He screamed his whole body shaking.  
  
Ken stared at his father. There was hatred in his eyes. "You egotistical bastard! Who gave you the right to play God with my life? You tried to keep me safe. Right! When was I ever safe? You seemed to have no trouble watching me go off to get shot at and blown up for years. You approved of placing me in the KNT project. Then you trained me like some pet for your personal satisfaction."  
  
Kentaro stayed down for a few minutes with Ken towering over him. Then he shook his head clearing the effect of the punch. He slowly he got up from the floor.  
  
He quickly rotated and flipped Ken. He placed him in an arm lock as Ken was trying to prevent himself from falling. He dragged him to the living room and threw him on the couch.  
  
Ken leaped off the couch at his father losing all remnants of his control. Kentaro knew this had been a long time in coming. He deserved it, and knew Ken was entitled to the rage. Kentaro made no attempt to fight back. He guarded himself against the more serious blows, as Ken vented years of rage and hurt.  
  
Kentaro noted gratefully a little later that the ferocity of the attack was lessening. "Good. Get it out, son. Get it all out." He thought.  
  
Kentaro was starting to tire. He needed to end this soon. He was willing to bear the bruises and black eyes if it would help. But serious injury was another matter.  
  
"Enough!" Kentaro commanded grabbing Ken and throwing him on the couch. "Sit down!"  
  
"You and I are going to settle this now." Kentaro's voice held the old air of authority.  
  
Ken sat on the couch his rage immediately chilled by the familiar tone of command in his father's voice. Ken glared at his father and said nothing.  
  
What had happened was starting to register in his mind. He rarely lost control. His mind was reeling. Not only had he lost control, he had just attacked his father!  
  
"My God! What did I--? Are you al-alright?" Ken stammered.  
  
"I'll be a bit sore" Kentaro smiled at him wryly. "You pack one hell of a punch."  
  
"I'm so.." Ken started to apologize.  
  
Kentaro stopped him immediately.  
  
"It's been a long time in coming." Kentaro said looking at Ken intently.  
  
He paused for a few seconds catching his breath, and then continued.  
  
"But don't let it happen again. I won't be so easy on you next time." Kentaro warned taking on his usual sarcastic tone.  
  
In spite of everything Ken couldn't help but smile slightly.  
  
"We need to talk." Kentaro said  
  
Ken nodded still afraid to even speak.  
  
Kentaro regarded his son carefully. "Where do I start?" He mumbled mostly to himself.  
  
Ken sighed. "At the beginning is as good as anywhere. You're here now, so why you're here doesn't really matter anymore." He lied.  
  
The moment that Kentaro had dreamed of was here. He hoped Ken would understand. He wasn't sure he did at times.  
  
"You asked me why I didn't tell you I was alive. Why I didn't come back. It would have killed you if I did."  
  
Ken sat on the couch listening while his father paced the floor.  
  
"Galactor would have gone after you if they knew. Now it's someone in ISO. I know you can take care of yourself. You always could. You're my son. You're all I have. To keep you safe I would do it all again."  
  
There was no apology in his father's voice.  
  
Ken laughed bitterly. "Safe? You've got to be joking."  
  
Kentaro sat on couch his shoulders sagged. "You're not going to make this easy are you?"  
  
Ken stared at him pointedly, but said nothing.  
  
Kentaro looked away from his son and contuinued. His voice was strained. He wasn't sure he could do this.  
  
"I made a lot of mistakes, son. There are too many to count and probably too many to forgive. I can't change the past. I left you and your mother alone. I left you to watch your mother die. Then you found out about me as I was going to die. I wish I could undo these, but I can't. It has tormented me and will until I die."  
  
Ken wasn't sure he believed his father. He had never shown regret or remorse until now.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me who you were? Once I joined the team and fought next to you, I deserved to know." Ken said flatly.  
  
Kentaro looked at his son.  
  
"Maybe you did. I thought it was too dangerous." Kentaro paused. "Remember I was dead. I couldn't come out because Galactor would have killed us. They had a practice of killing whole families as an example. I'd seen them do it too many times, not to believe they wouldn't do it to us."  
  
Ken listened knowing his father was right. Galactor would have killed both of them.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me once I got older. I would have understood." Ken asked softly. His father still had a lot of explaining to do, but he was starting to understand.  
  
"It was intentional. I didn't want you to like me. I didn't want a chance to get close to you. I was kidding myself"  
  
Kentaro sighed.  
  
"I told myself, I couldn't let my feelings cloud my judgment and impair my safety or yours. I was lying to myself. Every time you went out, I was terrified you wouldn't return."  
  
Ken looked at his father surprised. He had always been so distant as Red Impulse. Except in Huntworl, then he had talked to him. He remembered being surprised that he had actually liked him.  
  
Kentaro continued before he lost his nerve to tell his son what he felt.  
  
"I did the only thing I knew how to do. I trained the hell out of all of you. Nambu taught you the skills you needed. I showed you how to be cold-blooded enough to use them. It was the only way I knew to impress on all of you this wasn't a game. It was cold-blooded survival. I didn't care if you hated me for it, so long as you survived."  
  
"I tried to be there whenever I could as Red Impulse. The longer the war continued, the more scared I was for you. The trouble was I got to know you. I was so proud of you. I had no right to you, but still . " Kentaro's voice broke. "As time went on I didn't know how to tell you who I was. I was a coward. I couldn't bring myself to face you. For that I'm sorry, son."  
  
Kentaro looked away and swiped at his eyes. Ken waited patiently for him to compose himself.  
  
After several minutes Ken prompted Kentaro with a more neutral question.  
  
"Why did you let Hakase place me in the KNT project?"  
  
Kentaro laughed bitterly.  
  
"I didn't 'allow' anything. Where the hell did you ever get that idea?"  
  
Ken looked at his father curiously.  
  
"Cain volunteered you while I was away on a mission. Kozi tried to stop him. He threatened to take you away from him. Your mother was very ill by this point, so Kozi agreed to it to keep you. When I came back it was too late. I found you caught in the middle of the whole mess."  
  
There was guilt in his voice as he continued.  
  
"I nearly killed Cain. I refused to take any more deep undercover missions. Cain and I had each other cornered. He needed me. I had the contacts and network in place. He controlled me through you. I refused to leave you alone again. But I couldn't come back as Kentaro Washio either. Red Impulse was the best solution we could find."  
  
Ken sat stunned disbelieving what he was hearing. He was speechless for several minutes. He'd had no idea.  
  
Ken looked at his father. "I wish I had known" he said softly.  
  
Kentaro looked down at his hands.  
  
Ken said nothing absorbing all that he had heard. What would he have done if faced with the same problem. He couldn't even begin to imagine.  
  
Kentaro didn't move. Would his son forgive him and understand?  
  
Ken wanted to know what his father planned for the future. Would he be here once the base was destroyed? Where did they go after this? He wouldn't go through this again.  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"First get the base. Beyond that I don't know. I really haven't thought it out that far." Kentaro answered truthfully.  
  
"Will you vanish again when this is all done?" Ken asked.  
  
"I'd like to stay around a while if you'll have me." Kentaro answered tentatively.  
  
Ken was surprised by the comment. This man was more complicated than the arrogant man he remembered. The old Red Impulse would have never asked Ken's permission. Ken suddenly realized, he wasn't a powerless child anymore. This proud arrogant man was vulnerable to him too.  
  
Ken studied his father carefully. He looked tired and something else. Afraid. Ken was stunned as realized his father was scared. He had never seen him like this before. Ken understood this had to be hard for him. He was used to being in complete control. This was something new.  
  
"What was he thinking?" Kentaro wondered unable to read his son's neutral expression.  
  
"I think I'd like you to stay father." Ken said softly and then smiled at his father. Ken held out his hand in a welcome offering.  
  
Kentaro stared at the offered hand for a second. Then he grabbed his son in a tight embrace. "Thank you, son. Thank you." He choked on the words.  
  
Stunned Ken didn't know quite how to react. He returned the embrace. His father was really home he thought. He couldn't believe it. Both men pulled away and cleared tears from their eyes.  
  
When Kentaro got his emotions under control he looked up. The sun was starting to rise. He looked at his watch and realized they had been awake all night. Kentaro rose from the couch and stretched his long frame.  
  
"I don't know about you, but I need sleep soon or I'm going to fall over." he said.  
  
Ken's laugh turned into a yawn as he got up too. "You're right, I'm beyond tired. Come on." Ken motioned toward the bedroom.  
  
"Take my bed for tonight. I have to clean the other room, and I'm not going to do it now." Ken stated. He grabbed a blanket and pillow from his room and headed for the couch.  
  
Kentaro nodded too tired to argue. He was about to get into bed when he remembered they were supposed to meet with Nambu in a few hours. He went to tell Ken. Ken had fallen sound asleep on the couch still wearing his clothes and shoes.  
  
Kentaro studied his sleeping son. He had forgotten the simple pleasure of simply watching him. He smiled to himself. Ken looked so peaceful and content. Kentaro realized exactly how much he had missed his boy.  
  
He carefully removed his shoes and covered him with the blanket.  
  
"Good night, son" He whispered softly. 


	12. Father and Son Contd

Kentaro went back into the bedroom. He lay down in the bed with a groan. He was sore everywhere from their earlier 'discussion'. " Still it had been worth every bruise," he thought.  
  
Kentaro lay trying to get comfortable. Finally sheer exhaustion overcame his discomfort, and he slipped into an uneasy sleep.  
  
Ken awoke much later. He had slept like a baby. As he rose shaking off sleep, the previous days events came rushing back. His father, he was here! It wasn't just all a dream he thought disoriented for a moment. He quickly stood and headed to his room at the end of the hall. There was the sleeping form of his father in his bed. No, it definitely was not a dream.  
  
Ken looked at his father silently for a moment. A rush of guilt washed over him as he saw the bruises on his face. His father hadn't fought back. He lost control, and used his father as a punching bag. His father had accepted it as his just due. Ken vowed to amends somehow.  
  
Ken called to his father. He didn't move. That definitely was not normal. His father was an exceptionally light sleeper. Ken remembered getting a knife at his throat the one time he attempted to wake him from sleep. He had never made that mistake again.  
  
He went over and called his name again. "Father, wake up! Red Impulse!" Ken shook him and still there was no response. He tried several times without success. Something was very wrong.  
  
Ken called into his wrist communicator. "Hakase, this is Ken. There's an emergency over here at my place." His voice was urgent as he spoke to Nambu.  
  
"Nambu here Ken. What is it?"  
  
"Hakase I can't wake Red Impulse. I've tried several times and I'm not getting a response."  
  
"Ken, was there any trouble last night?" Hakase asked.  
  
Ken turned his father over and received a groan of pain for his efforts.  
  
"Yes, Hakase. We got physical. I think I may have hurt him. He seemed fine last night,but I can't rouse him now. He usually jumps at the slightest sound. Something is wrong."  
  
"OK. I'll be there shortly." Nambu agreed Something was not right. "Keep trying to wake him until I get there. Nambu out."  
  
Ken tried to wake his father several more times.  
  
Approximately 15 minutes later Ken heard a helicopter arriving in the back. He went to check on Hakase's arrival. He walked to Jun and Nambu they exited the helicopter.  
  
Ken hurried Jun into the house and took her to where Kentaro lay on the bed.  
  
Jun gasped in shock. Red Impulse's face was badly bruised. Jun immediately withdrew a medical scanner from the bag and ran it over him. He had several ribs and a minor concussion. Ken had really beaten him badly.  
  
She called to him several times and received no response. His vitals all appeared good.  
  
She hooked up a portable brain monitor to check the severity of the concussion. What she saw surprised her. Red Impulse was fine. The concussion was minor. It was not responsible for his lack of response.  
  
Kentaro was in an extremely deep state of sleep. He would have collapsed from exhaustion if he had not already been in bed. The only time she had ever seen this was with patients who had been severely sleep deprived. Usually as a result of combat or torture. Most people could not push themselves to this limit and function rationally. Red Impulse had driven himself to exhaustion.  
  
She set up a portable regenerator to speed the healing of his wounds. Normally with a concussion this would have been unpleasant for him. Luckily he wouldn't feel a thing.  
  
Nambu had entered the room. He looked stunned as he saw Red Impulse. "What did you do?!" He yelled angrily at Ken.  
  
"I lost it. There's no excuse. He wouldn't fight back. He just stood there and..." Ken looked horrible.  
  
"How could you? You know what you..." Nambu interrupted and kept yelling  
  
Jun interjected before they both lost it completely.  
  
"The Captain is going to be fine. He has a minor concussion and some broken ribs. That's not the problem here though. He collapsed from exhaustion. The fight just exasperated the issue slightly. He is in a state of extremely deep sleep."  
  
"Will he be OK? How come I can't rouse him?" Ken asked.  
  
"I would guess he hasn't slept in four or more days. His body just gave out, so you can't wake him. Give him few days with the regenerator and he'll be fine. What he needs now is sleep."  
  
Nambu double checked everything. Jun found that annoying sometimes. She knew he was a very capable practitioner, but she was the medical doctor not him. Still it was his friend and Ken's father, so she said nothing for the moment.  
  
Nambu concurred with the diagnosis. "This will shift the meeting back by a day" Nambu stated "I want you--"  
  
"Hakase by two days at least." Jun interrupted "I know this is important, but the Captain will be useless if he collapses while on a mission."  
  
Jun was surprised when Nambu agreed without questioning her. "Do you think he'll be functional after a few days rest."  
  
"Given his tenacity and personality, I think you'll have trouble keeping him in bed that long." Jun smiled. " As long as he gets rest his injuries should heal quickly. Two or three days will be enough."  
  
Nambu smiled. Jun had described him perfectly. He remembered an incident many years ago where Kentaro had gotten back from a mission. He had a serious knife wound that would have incapacitated anyone else. He had had to sedate him so the wound could heal properly.  
  
Nambu turned to Ken and motioned to the kitchen.  
  
"Let's continue this over lunch. I haven't eaten in a while."  
  
Nambu headed to the kitchen with his briefcase in hand.  
  
"I'll make some food." Jun stated " Why don't you two get down to business. I know there's a lot to review." They both nodded.  
  
Nambu looked at Ken for a moment and sighed. "I know this has been hard for you. Still, you of all people cannot afford to lose your head."  
  
Ken nodded. He already knew he was to blame." Hakase, it was my fault. There was no excuse for my behavior. I'll accept whatever you feel is necessary."  
  
Nambu's expression softened a bit then he added. "I will leave this between the two of you. Whatever your father decides to do will be his choice."  
  
Ken looked at him surprised  
  
Nambu looked amused and added softly. "Knowing your father he will tell me to butt out, this is personal. So, I'll let him handle this and avoid the argument with him. Now down to business."  
  
That closed the issue as far as Nambu was concerned. Ken breathed a sigh of relief. He hoped his father would be as understanding.  
  
Nambu pulled out a sheaf of papers and photos as they sat at the table.  
  
"Here is the intelligence from Red Impulse. Jun and Joe also were able to get some thermal scans indicating the size of the base. I have Ryu and Jinpei doing a high altitude fly over in the Phoenix right now. I want independent confirmation of the data. I'm not willing to rely on our intelligence other than O'Rourke. I'm sending him on a surprise inspection tour of the Huntworl facilities as we speak."  
  
"Hakase can we rely on him? We know the leak is highly placed and we know for certain they have infiltrated intelligence. There is no other way to hide this data."  
  
"We'll know that soon. We know if there is anything wrong he'll find it. If he can't find it then, we have a starting point to our investigation."  
  
Ken smiled. He should have trusted Hakase. Jun appeared with tray full of sandwiches, soup, and coffee for them. They ate as Ken studied the photos of the base.  
  
It was huge. It would be deadly if they ever launched a first strike from there. He ate and continued to study the data they had. Red Impulse had detailed that at least six squadrons of planes and at least a hundred battalions of soldiers could be housed. He had partial schematics of living and functional regions of the base. The equipment and systems were the most modern money could buy. The technology was fantastic and deadly.  
  
Red Impulse had not been able to determine conclusively whether biological, chemical, or nuclear capability existed on the base. The security was so sophisticated that his ability to penetrate it was severely limited. Given its size and complexity he assumed it was likely.  
  
They would have to infiltrate the base. Find out its capabilities and then destroy it before anyone could use it. They'd have to determine who had created this monster and stop them before it was too late.  
  
After lunch Jun and Nambu left Ken alone to care for his father. He had specific instructions to keep him in bed for at least the next two days. He noticed neither offered any suggestions for how he might actually accomplish this.  
  
Ken cleared the dishes and went to check on his father. He took the intelligence materials with him. He sat down by his father and looked at his prone form.  
  
The regenerator was working quickly. Already the visible bruises were healing. He hoped his father wouldn't be in much pain when he woke. He looked better than before and was resting peacefully for now.  
  
Ken sighed and turned back to task at hand. He studied the documents detailing the base. At least his father couldn't accuse him of squandering the time.  
  
Ken had been studying the papers for hours when he rose and took a break. He went and poured himself some iced tea and grabbed some cookies and headed back for the bedroom. Ken soon lost himself in the mission planning again.  
  
Kentaro's movement in the bed roused Ken from his seat. It was late he realized. He checked on his father again. Good, he was stirring finally!  
  
Kentaro felt like he was coming out of a heavily drugged sleep. His mind was foggy. He couldn't seem to think properly. His whole body felt heavy and lethargic. He moved slightly and heard a voice coming from a distance. It sounded like his son's voice. He wondered for a moment if he was dreaming again. He didn't want to wake and find himself alone in Huntworl again .  
  
"Father, Father, can you hear me? I need you to wake up for a few minutes." Ken called to him.  
  
Kentaro opened his eyes and a blurry image of Ken came into view. He closed his eyes again and concentrated on waking up. He was laying in a bed covered with several blankets. He had some type of medical device hooked to him.  
  
He opened his eyes again and looked around the room before settling on Ken.  
  
"Father how are you feeling?" Ken asked.  
  
Ken seemed worried about him. Kentaro wondered what had happened. The previous several days came rushing back to him. No, he wasn't dreaming this time. He remembered falling asleep last night and then nothing until now.  
  
"Ken? What happened?" his voice croaked. His throat was extremely dry.  
  
Ken handed him a glass of water. Very slowly he sipped it. He handed the glass back to Ken exhausted.  
  
"What happened?" he asked his voice a little stronger now.  
  
"You suffered some injuries from last night and collapsed from exhaustion." Ken stated.  
  
He looked away from his father and continued. "I lost control and..."  
  
Kentaro stopped him. "Ken!" "Last night was twenty years overdue." He added softly looking directly at his son.  
  
"I hurt..."  
  
"Don't feel guilty about this." Kentaro commanded. "You were entitled. Now, I consider the topic closed." Kentaro's tone allowed no argument.  
  
Ken nodded. His father did not want to pursue what happened.  
  
"Besides, if you injured me badly enough to knock me out, I really must have been exhausted. Otherwise you never would have gotten the drop on me." Kentaro stated deadpan.  
  
Ken snorted and looked at his father. He had that obnoxious half-smile on his face.  
  
"I see your modesty is showing again." Ken retorted.  
  
"Mind your tongue boy." Kentaro warned smiling. "Now tell me what happened."  
  
"I tried to wake earlier this afternoon. When I got no response after trying repeatedly I called Hakase and Jun. You have broken ribs and a minor concussion. Mostly you were suffering from exhaustion. You slept for most of the day. You'll be fine in a day or two. Meanwhile Hakase and Jun both ordered you on bed rest for two days. So what can I get for you old man." Ken grinned wickedly.  
  
"Great! You mean to tell me I'm at your mercy for the next two days. Wonderful."  
  
Ken laughed." Yup, the old rat bastard is going to be fine. I think I liked you better when you were quiet."  
  
Kentaro chuckled. Ken propped some pillows behind him. "Let me get you something to eat. Jun said you need fluids and food if you feel up to it."  
  
Kentaro agreed. He thought he could defi0nitely use something to drink and maybe something light to eat.  
  
Kentaro laid back on the pillows. He hadn't slept more than a few hours in several days. It had finally caught up with him. He felt totally drained. It felt odd having his son wait on him. He remembered previous times where it had been reversed. I must be getting old he thought.  
  
Ken returned a few minutes later with soup and juice. Kentaro found he was extremely hungry once he started eating. Ken just watched and drank a beer he had grabbed from the refrigerator. When Kentaro was done he handed the dishes back to Ken.  
  
Ken removed the dishes. Kentaro realized his son had been reviewing the data and making notes about the base. He looked at the clock. It said 2 AM and they had gone to sleep about 6 am that morning. He had slept almost 20 hours. No wonder they had been worried about him he thought.  
  
Ken came back in the room and caught Kentaro studying the information and notes he had taken.  
  
"I was just reviewing the information on the base. You were right to be scared. Are you feeling up to a few questions, or would you rather sleep now and wait until tomorrow?"  
  
"No, now would be fine. We really need to start going over this stuff and figure out a way to get in there."  
  
Ken agreed. First he wanted to understand where Kentaro had gotten the data.  
  
"How did you get the schematics and the information on staffing? I was looking through here and none of the names ring a bell with Galactor. I cross-referenced the staffing list with the ISO database. There were a few minor hits, but nothing significant."  
  
He showed his results to his father.  
  
"I found the base by accident. There is a small airport in Huntworl where I keep a small plane. I was flying over Mt Heza area one day when I noticed someone had cleared a very large swatch of vegetation in the middle of nowhere in a nature preserve."  
  
"I was curious , so I came back and went hiking with a camera. I was able to get some long distance photos. I noticed a defense perimeter, and didn't want to risk being detected. I was able to go back several times over the next several months gathering information."  
  
I had told Jun and Joe how when Dr Rafael found me I had started putting a network together for him. Once Dr Rafael was dead I had all his resources. I set up a small operation in Huntworl. I know this goes into the government there. The Prime Minister and several members of the parliament are involved. I am having trouble connecting any of them to ISO or the UN. I have looked and I can't find the missing pieces."  
  
Ken nodded. If his father couldn't find the missing piece, this was going to be terribly hard. He had managed to stay undetected in Galactor territory for over ten years. It was only his that had brought him out of hiding.  
  
Ken looked directly at Kentaro. "Have you been inside the base? Have you been able to access their systems at all?"  
  
"Yes, I've been through the base, but the security is tight. I can't get into any of the high security areas. They have very sophisticated security. I've thrown multiply cracker programs at it with no luck, I've had some of my best technicians in there with me, Again no luck. Whoever designed this base knows what they're about."  
  
Ken and Kentaro discussed in as much detail as he could provide about the living and functional areas of the base. From several trips inside the base, he had learned the base was not operational yet. There had been no information on the purpose or the mission of all the people recruited. He gathered they didn't know their employer. The pay was good and these were the type of men who didn't ask questions. They simply followed orders as given.  
  
"There's a connection here, no doubt. Maybe Hakase will have some ideas how to penetrate the security to fill in the missing pieces." Ken stated.  
  
Kentaro nodded in agreement. That's what I was hoping. The data is annoyingly incomplete. I was ..."  
  
Kentaro stopped on a yawn.  
  
Ken looked at the clock it was 3:30am. His father looked tired.  
  
"Jun and Hakase are going to yell at me for keeping you up. They made me promise to keep you in bed for another day."  
  
Ken sounded rather uncertain about the whole thing.  
  
Kentaro laughed at his son. "I promise I'll be on my best behavior."  
  
"I've seen you on your best behavior. That's exactly what I'm worried about." Ken retorted.  
  
He and his father had fallen into this bantering relationship naturally. Ken decided he could grow to like this given some time.  
  
"Is there anything else you need before I go to sleep?"  
  
"I was thinking I might take a shower, since I've been in bed for quite a while. Then I think I'll probably go back to sleep."  
  
"Do you need any help?"  
  
Kentaro removed the blanket and stood up slowly. Ken helped remove the regenerator. His body ached badly but after a few minutes he was steady enough on his feet to walk a few feet. " I think I'll be fine just to take a shower."  
  
Ken studied him and was satisfied that his father would be all right.  
  
"You'll find towels and soap in the bathroom. There's an extra toothbrush and razor in the closet. Do you need anything else?" Ken asked.  
  
"No, that should do it."  
  
"OK, good night then. I'm going to clear out the spare room and get some sleep now that I know you're better."  
  
"Good night then." Kentaro headed for the bathroom.  
  
Ken was still clearing out the spare room and making the bed. He heard his father come out of the bathroom and head to the kitchen. Ken went to investigate. He saw his father looking in the refrigerator for food.  
  
"Hungry still?" Ken asked.  
  
"Yes, sorry I didn't mean to get you up."  
  
"I'll make something. Why don't you sit down and rest. Doctor's orders after all."  
  
"I'll be fine , Ken. Go to sleep. I've already caused you enough trouble for today."  
  
"Don't make me get Jun out here." Ken mock threatened.  
  
"After the examination she subjected me to, no way. I'd rather face a platoon of Galactors." Kentaro sat down. He was exhausted, but his stomach was rumbling.  
  
"Examination? This sounds intriguing.." Ken laughed.  
  
"Scrambled eggs and bacon OK for now?"  
  
"Sounds good. Are you sure I'm not keeping you up?" Ken dismissed the question and started frying the bacon.  
  
"So tell me about the 'examination'" Ken asked intrigued.  
  
"It seems Jun has grown up while I was away." Kentaro started. "She said she had become a doctor. She used to be a very quiet young girl. Well, not anymore." Kentaro emphasized.  
  
Kentaro grinned wickedly at Ken.  
  
Ken nodded.  
  
" No, she's definitely grown up." He commented amused.  
  
"She's not just a doctor. She's a premier geneticist. Hakase is very proud of her. She was top at Harvard Med. Cloning is a sub-specialty of hers. Most of her research is in the treatment and regeneration of the severely injured. Neural connections and their regeneration is her main interest. She's really sought after. She hasn't even finished yet, and the offers are coming in already."  
  
Kentaro could hear the pride in his son's voice. He smiled to himself.  
  
"God save me from smart female doctors."  
  
Ken laughed as he placed the food on the table and sat down.  
  
Kentaro continued "That woman of yours has developed a saucy mouth and a bit of an attitude." Kentaro challenged Ken to deny it.  
  
"You mean she wouldn't tolerate you harassing her?" Ken said stifling a laugh. "What exactly did you do to get her annoyed at you?"  
  
"Me??" Kentaro feigned innocence.  
  
Ken laughed aloud " Yes, you."  
  
"I just asked what had happened to the sweet docile girl I remembered."  
  
Ken laughed. "You're still here. Now I know she loves me, otherwise she would have buried you alive for that."  
  
Kentaro laughed and raised an inquiring brow at his son.  
  
"She's a little tougher than she used to be. First she fought for so long, and now she's competing in a man's field with the older men still giving women a hard time. She has to be twice as good and she is more than that. Hakase wants her to start a lab at ISO." Ken explained.  
  
Kentaro looked impressed.  
  
"She must be the best then. Kozaburo never played favorites when it came to research. He always went for the best talent."  
  
Ken nodded in agreement.  
  
They finished the food and headed for bed.  
  
Ken fell to sleep tired but content. He was grateful to finally get this chance to know his enigmatic father.  
  
Kentaro laid back in bed feeling much better. He drifted off to sleep more content than he could remember in many years. 


	13. Morning

Ken woke with Jun rousing him from sleep.  
  
"Hey, handsome how are you doing?" She teased kissing him good morning.  
  
Ken smiled and grabbed her in a bear hug.  
  
"Good" he murmured with sleep still in his voice. "What time is it?"  
  
"It's eleven-thirty. I figured you'd want to sleep late today."  
  
"Yeah, thanks. Is my father awake yet?"  
  
"No, not that I've seen. I was just about to ask you if he woke up yesterday. I'll examine him again when he wakes up, unless you're worried about him." Jun offered.  
  
"No, let him sleep. He woke up last night and ate and got up for a short time. He seemed better once he ate and drank something." Ken answered.  
  
"Good then why don't you get ready. I'll cook some eggs and toast. I can't really do much damage to eggs and toast."  
  
Ken grinned. Cooking was a sore point for Jun. It was hard to understand, why such a capable woman had such trouble cooking. He had learned to cook for survival originally. He discovered he really enjoyed cooking now, and Jun was happy to let him cook most of the time.  
  
"OK. I'll take my toast brown not black please."  
  
Jun hit him over the head with a pillow.  
  
"Now, I have to punish you." He threatened laughing.  
  
He grabbed her and started tickling her. Jun shrieked and begged for mercy giggling.  
  
Ken hugged her to him, and gave her a passionate kiss. Several minutes later Ken regretfully broke off the kiss.  
  
"Save that thought. " Ken said huskily "There's too much to do this morning. I think Hakase will want to meet later anyway."  
  
Jun nodded "Get ready, and I'll start cooking and check on your father."  
  
Jun went to Kentaro's room and knocked very softly on the door. She didn't want to wake him if he was still sleeping.  
  
"Come in." She heard from the other side of the door.  
  
"Captain, it's Jun. Do you mind if I do a quick check on you to see how you are doing?"  
  
"No, that's fine come in."  
  
Jun walked into the bedroom. Red Impulse was covered with a blanket to the chest.  
  
"Good morning, Captain. How are you feeling this morning?"  
  
"Much better, thank you."  
  
Jun nodded and took out a scanner and ran it over Red Impulse. All his vitals looked normal. He was well on his way to recovering. The regenerator had done its job, and everything was almost back normal this time.  
  
"Much better." she smiled at him. "You're looking much better today."  
  
"I'm told I'm on bed rest for another day." Kentaro inquired of Jun.  
  
Jun chuckled. "No, I don't think that's needed. Just take it slow for the next couple of days. Make sure you rest and limit your activity. We don't want you collapsing again, especially with a mission coming up soon."  
  
He nodded. "Jun, what exactly happened to me?" Kentaro asked.  
  
"You pushed too hard and didn't sleep enough. Given your training and makeup you can push much further than most people. Eventually you collapsed. You just happened to be in bed when it happened. That's why we couldn't wake you yesterday. You'll feel more like yourself in another day or so."  
  
"Thank you." Kentaro said. "I hope I didn't cause too much trouble."  
  
"No trouble at all, Captain." Jun smiled at him  
  
"Ken is already awake, and I'm going to fix some breakfast, if you'd like eggs and toast..."  
  
"You're cooking?" Kentaro looked dubious.  
  
Jun laughed. "Captain, it's just eggs and toast. I can't do too much damage."  
  
Kentaro smiled. "Sorry, but I've heard stories."  
  
Jun nodded and then grinned. "One little fire, and everyone gets so upset." Jun said innocently.  
  
Kentaro roared with laughter.  
  
"I'll see you for breakfast then." Jun said as she left the room.  
  
He was glad his son had finally pursued this relationship. He hoped soon she might be his daughter-in-law.  
  
Kentaro smiled to himself. The idea pleased him immensely. The girl had looks, intelligence, heart, and spunk. She was the ideal mate for his son. 


	14. Planning

Red Impulse and the team sat in Nambu's office. They had gone over  
  
all the preliminary data. Kentaro had answered questions concerning  
  
entry into the base and the general description of the land.  
  
He had explained the issues his team had encountered  
  
trying to infiltrate the base and access the high level areas and computer  
  
systems. Kentaro was annoyed by his general lack of success.  
  
"Given the data here and the system description, I think I can get  
  
you in." Jinpei commented.  
  
Jinpei had become the computer expert for the team. He was studying electrical engineering and computer engineering at college. "Give me a day to do a mock-up of the system and run some tests. Hakase, I could use your help with the  
  
mock-up if you have time later. I have some ideas I would like to  
  
run by you."  
  
"We'll meet later this evening after I'm done and run the tests tonight and  
  
tomorrow." Hakase replied.  
  
Jinpei nodded.  
  
Joe turned to Red Impulse. "A small group should be able to take the  
  
group at the cave out before an alarm can be raised. I think it is  
  
the easiest way to get in undetected. People are always in that  
  
area hiking. One more group won't raise an alarm. We should be able  
  
to take them easily."  
  
"I think we will need more backup than just the team though." Red Impulse added. "I can get you in there undetected, but taking the base out is another matter. There are at least 500 men there now and once the base is at full strength it will be closer to several thousand."  
  
"We can take the base out. What is your present team situation? Do you have the men to provide us support?" Ken asked.  
  
"I can give you up to 50 men trained in intelligence/counter intelligence and  
  
another 25 with biological, chemical, and nuclear specialties . They are  
  
all familiar with the base. I can also get you several hundred more combat  
  
trained for support."  
  
Nambu interjected "Kentaro, I want you to go with the team. You have  
  
the knowledge we need to get into the base's interior."  
  
"I agree. My team can act as backup and reinforcements as needed."  
  
"How much time do you need to take out the base defenses?" Nambu  
  
asked Red Impulse.  
  
"Twelve hours should be enough to set charges. If we can't disable  
  
the base, you'll have to attack. It has to be taken down no matter  
  
what."  
  
Nambu nodded. I will mobilize the UN forces if needed. It will  
  
create an incident, but if there's no choice I have the authority."  
  
"Let's hope you don't have to use it again Hakase. The last thing we  
  
need is another war involving Huntworl." Ken stated the obvious.  
  
They all had bad memories of Huntworl.  
  
"I plan on this mission in five days. Meanwhile, you all have updates  
  
your birdstyle and vehicles I want you to review." Nambu said dismissing the team.  
  
"Ken and Red Impulse, stay for a moment please."  
  
Both men turned around and looked at Nambu  
  
"Sit down for a moment both of you."  
  
Ken looked at his father who just shrugged. Apparently he had no  
  
idea what this was about either.  
  
"I'm sorry this is personal, but I have to ask anyway." Nambu  
  
explained slightly uncomfortable. "When the two of you left here last, you were barely speaking. I can see some of the tension has eased.  
  
Will you two be able to work together on this..?"  
  
Ken and Kentaro looked at each other slightly surprised, and then  
  
both men laughed simultaneously.  
  
"I think it will be OK." Ken said.  
  
"The boy is a little green, but I think he'll do." Kentaro said in an  
  
amused tone.  
  
"Hakase, on second thought I'd like to request ..." Ken started  
  
"OK enough both of you. I can see you're back to your old 'working'  
  
relationship. Some things never change, unfortunately. "  
  
Nambu interrupted exasperated with both of them.  
  
"Hakase, I need to go check out the G-1 and changes to the birdstyle."  
  
Ken got up to leave. He paused and then looked at his father.  
  
"Will you be free tonight? There is something we need to  
  
discuss."  
  
Kentaro looked perplexed. He thought they had made excellent ground  
  
over the past few days, and were starting to form a solid  
  
relationship. This sounded serious.  
  
"At seven I should be done here."  
  
"Good, I'll meet you later then."  
  
Ken nodded to both men and left.  
  
Kentaro turned to Nambu.  
  
Nambu was grinning like a Cheshire cat.  
  
"Kozi, what is going on?"  
  
"Ask your son. He keeps things close to his chest, just like his father."  
  
Nambu was clearly enoying this. Kentaro looked at him curiously.  
  
"I think I know what he is planning, but you'll have to wait. Now let's get down to business."  
  
"Tell me how you plan to get in their undetected. Once there what's the plan."  
  
"Getting in and looking around isn't the problem. I've been in there several times. The trouble is getting at the lower levels and getting access to the computers."  
  
"I'm pretty sure I can help you there. Jinpei is the expert, and there's little he can't crack. He's off working on that now."  
  
"They have retinal scanners, and DNA scanners at the highest levels."  
  
Nambu looked startled and impressed at the same time. Kentaro knew that look. This was a challenge. He also knew if anyone could break the technology, it would be him.  
  
"I'll work on the DNA scanners. The retinal scanner is no problem. Tell me what you want the team to do."  
  
"First I need to do recon then we'll have to figure a way to disable the base. The weapons there scare me. Not knowing exactly what's there scares me even more." Kentaro looked at Nambu.  
  
"I think we'll probably need two trips inside. First to see what's there. Second to destroy the place, hopefully without killing all of Huntworl or worse. What will the UN say to this?"  
  
Nambu laughed. "Oh, they'll have plenty to say. It won't matter though. If you need the team, you can have them. I want this base taken out, and I want you back here once this is over."  
  
"The team has permission to use whatever methods needed. Let's try to keep destruction to a minimum,please. Explaining why ISO attacked Huntworl is going to be hard enough."  
  
Kentaro looked at Nambu worried.  
  
"Don't worry. I plan on using the usual tactics with the UN. The team will go into Huntworl then we'll simply deny it ever happened."  
  
Kentaro laughed. "Gas explosion or the like, huh?"  
  
Nambu nodded another thought filling his mind.  
  
"We have to get the mole Kentaro. The team and especially, you are in danger otherwise."  
  
"He is connected with ISO somehow. I suspect when we get on the base we'll figure out who he is."  
  
"Kentaro, I want you to bring him back alive. We need to question him."  
  
"For all the years, he will die."  
  
It was a promise. Nambu understood Kentaro would kill him given the chance.  
  
"Kentaro, I'm serious. We need to make sure this is it. He would have that knowledge. Then I promise you, I will make sure he is punished."  
  
"Humph" Kentaro snorted his displeasure. "How by the UN? They can't agree on which day of the week it is. Someone will try to protect him. Forget it. I'll make sure it is handled once you get what you need."  
  
"Kentaro I mean it. I need to know how much we've been compromised."  
  
Kentaro knew that tone. Kozi was right he needed to know if the team  
  
or anyone else was in danger from the security breach. There never  
  
should have been a security breach this high. They had let their  
  
guard down too much.  
  
"I'll bring him in alive. You'll get the information you need. I  
  
promise you that." Kentaro said with certainty. "If you want him to live beyond that, you'll have to hide him."  
  
Kentaro's face was cold and his voice held no emotion.  
  
Nambu just sighed. They had had this discussion many times in the  
  
past. He had always argued let justice and fairness prevail even with  
  
the enemy. He looked at his friend and realized what this person has cost him. Secretly he thought "This time I won't try to stop you old friend."  
  
They went through the plans for attacking the base. He and the team  
  
in camouflage would enter the cave. Kentaro's group already had the needed uniforms. The main challenge was going to be the DNA scanners to gain access to the high security areas. Kentaro had no idea how to fake the scanners with an unknown DNA sequence. It was the one foolproof method of security in existence.  
  
"How do you plan to get past the DNA scanners? I don't want to lose anyone getting in the base."  
  
"I have an idea I think it will work. We actually have some prototypes left over from the last war with Galactor. I think I can fool them. Unfortunately I can't know for sure until you try."  
  
"I want to take just Ken's team into the interior of the base with me. Let my team be backup, if we get in trouble. I think they'll be more effective. Given the security there will likely be substantial resistance."  
  
"I'll get on the DNA scanner now. Ken is down in the hangar with the G-1. I'll take you down there. We'll meet tomorrow and put the final plan in place." 


	15. Flying

Kentaro nodded. It would be interesting to see what changes had made to the G-1 in his absence. He remembered it as an excellent fighter. He had a small jet back in Huntworl, but nothing like his old fighter or Ken's jet.

Kentaro also wondered if Ken's flying had improved in the intervening years. He was a superb pilot at eighteen. He wondered if Ken had surpassed him by now. Kentaro wouldn't be surprised, but he would never publicly admit to it. He was proud of his son's ability. It was one of the few things he had helped teach Ken and he had excelled

much to his delight.

Kentaro and Nambu exited the elevator and entered a large hangar area in the complex.

Next to the Godphoenix was the Eagle fighter with several technicians moving around working on it. Ken was deep in conversation with one of them as they

walked over to the plane.

"Gatchaman, I will leave the Captain with you now."

Ken nodded at Hakase. Kentaro watched confused as both men grinned at each other.

"What are you two planning? "he wondered, but said nothing waiting.

"Sam, could we clear the bay please." Nambu ordered and then left Ken and Kentaro alone.

Ken waited for the technicians to leave the area.

"Come here." Ken motioned to his father.

"I'll show you what she can do in a few minutes, if you think you're up to it." Ken's eyes glinted with amusement.

Kentaro raised an astonished eyebrow at his son. Then his face cleared. "They actually let you fly this thing?"

Ken laughed. "Come over here, then I'll take you up and show you how to fly."

Ken had spoken so calmly Kentaro almost didn't believe what he had just heard.

"Don't get impertinent with me boy!" Kentaro growled, but there was amusement in his voice.

Ken laughed and motioned to a side bay.

Kentaro walked into the bay, looked up stunned , and quickly stopped dead. Ken almost ran into him he had stopped so suddenly.

"I figured you'd want this." Ken spoke softly pointing at Kentaro's old fighter. "We've made some improvements to it. It should be faster and have a longer range. I've upgraded some of the navigation systems. I changed some of the weaponry around, but since you'll be using her I 'll have the techs do whatever you want."

Kentaro stared at his old fighter in disbelief. "It still existed.! How?" he wondered amazed. He was surprised it wasn't destroyed along with Crescent Coral. Either that Nambu or Ken would have destroyed it.

"How did it survive? I thought it was destroyed in the Galactor attacks." Kentaro asked turning to look at Ken. "Or that you would have had it destroyed." .

Ken shuffled his feet slightly uneasy. Immediately after his father's "death", he had wanted to destroy any reminder of him. He had been so angry and hurt that Kentaro had said nothing until it was too late.

"Hakase wanted to create a memorial with it to you. I refused, and told him to destroy it.

He ignored me and placed it in storage. Later he told me where it was." Ken shuffled uncomfortably as he remembered the horrible fight with Hakase when he found the plane.

"After the end of Katse's war I took it out and fixed it up. I still wouldn't fly it the first time Hakase asked me for Remembrance Day. At the end of the final war, I finally agreed to fly it then." Ken said very softly.

Ken's voice was a little hoarse as he cleared the emotion from his throat.

Kentaro watched silently, and tried not to tear-up himself.

Ken suddenly lightened the mood and grinned wickedly at his father. "So, come on old man. Let me show you how it's done."

Kentaro laughed that full hearty laugh that Ken loved hearing. "Boy, I think it's time someone put you in your place."

Ken tossed a flight suit and the keys at his father.

Kentaro quickly changed and entered the plane.

Ken taxied into place and waited as the hangar bay doors slid open.

Kentaro looked at the interior of the plane. The stick was slightly more responsive than he remembered. Recently all his flying had been done in little jets, but nothing with the power of his fighter.

Ken took off and Kentaro was cleared for take off.

"Follow me. We're going into a restricted zone. Maintain radio silence until I say. Ken out."

"Roger understood." was the only reply until they were in a safer area.

They flew along in comfortable silence. Ken looked out the cockpit to his left and saw his father in the little red jet. Ken choked up as he realized the enormity of it all. He was actually flying with his father!

"How many times I have dreamed of this...no ...prayed for this." he thought.

Ken collected himself. They had just entered the safe zone.

"Time to have some fun!" he thought.

"We're clear now. From the mountain range on the left to the water on the coast is secure."

Kentaro was amazed how quickly it all came back. This machine had always felt natural under his hand. Ken led Kentaro on an easy game of follow the leader, while his father reacquainted himself with the fighter.

"Ready for some real flying?" Ken asked as he took off rapidly twisting away from Kentaro's plane.

Kentaro answered by strafing Ken's fighter with his plane. Ken half laughed and half cursed as his plane shook from the close pass.

"Same old half crazy rat bastard, and they let him fly a plane." Ken mumbled into the radio.

Kentaro's laughter came across the radio. "Did you say something, boy?"

"God! How he had missed this!" Ken thought as he twisted away with Kentaro close behind. Ken went into a steep climb and then rapidly flipped the plane into a steep dive. Years ago Ken had blacked out while performing this maneuver. He had perfected it since.

Kentaro followed and was quickly on Ken's tail again.

Now for a new trick thought Ken. He rapidly banked to the left trying to catch Kentaro unaware.. This move always worked, but not this time. His father countered and they ended up in an acrobatic air duel.

"Nice flying, son." Kentaro thought. Aloud he mocked "I see you've been practicing."

"A little." Ken laughed.

Ken realized his father had lost nothing in all the years away. He wondered how much flying his father had done in Huntworl. He made a mental note to ask him later.

"Time to head back." Ken radioed.

"Roger" Kentaro sighed into the radio.

Neither man wanted to return. This had been a wonderful time away for the two.

Kentaro hoped they could do it again as they brought the planes back to the base.

Both men hopped out of their planes and headed for the locker rooms. Little was said as they showered and changed into new clothes.


	16. Old Friends

Just as Kentaro and Ken were finishing up Ken's communicator chimed.

"Ken here, Hakase."

"Meet in my office at 1500 Gatchaman and bring Red Impulse with you."

The team and Red Impulse sat in Nambu's office.

They were studying the photos and maps Hakase had displayed on the wall. He flipped through the location and base layout.

"Hakase, we'll get in the base alright." Ken stated. 'I'm worried about getting past security to get into the lower levels. How do we get past the DNA scanners. If the entrance is only keyed to a few people's specific sequences, how do we get past it."

Jinpei, Jun and Nambu had been working on it. What they proposed should work in theory. It had worked on the mockups.

Nambu explained , "The way we believe the sequencer program works is when it gets an incorrect sequence it raises an alarm. The captured Galactor routines raise the alarm call to a separate program.. We aren't trying to stop the program from raising an alarm. We just trap the call to the external program .

We feed it data extremely rapidly until we get the correct hit. The sequence program has a partial matching algorithm, so once a partial sequence is correct it will only have to crack the unmatched portion. It should allow you to work rapidly."

"Hakase, how do we take the place down? If they have what Red Impulse suspects, we'll lay waste to 100 miles around the base at least and probably even more. We'll contaminate the whole area."

Nambu sighed.

"The first priority will be to destroy the base and the arsenal at all costs. Otherwise the damage could be far greater.."

The team gasped. It was unusual for Hakase gave such a sweeping order without considering the implications to the towns and people around the area.

"If you can neutralize the warheads do it otherwise destroy the place. We'll go in immediately after and treat for any contamination. The priority is to destroy it before they get a chance to use it. If they get to unleash it, we won't be able to stop them the damage will be too widespread."

They all understood. It was ugly but necessary. They would

lay waste to Huntworl if it would spare the rest of the world.

Nambu continued.

"Red Impulse take point with Joe and Ken. Jun and Jinpei will work on gaining access to the secure levels once the area has been secured. Then once inside the lower levels Jun, Joe and Jinpei will plant the explosives. They will be on a fail safe 20-30 minute timer. Once the sequence is started that's it. "

They all nodded. Nambu meant to see this base leveled. He wanted to be sure no threat ever got big enough again to cause the type of misery so many people had suffered in the previous wars.

That night Ken went to the Snack J with the others. Kentaro was having dinner with Nambu privately.

They sat down over dinner and wine. Both men had several glasses of wine and were allowing themselves to forget about duty for one evening.

Nambu had been pressing Kentaro for details on his operation in Huntworl. He was surprised to learn the extent of the operation. Kentaro would not give Nambu full details. Nambu was not surprised.

"I took over Rafael's resources. Once I realized what was happening I put someone in place to watch the team and you. I was worried your identities had been revealed. My agent verified you were all safe."

Nambu almost choked when Kentaro informed him he had been spying on them.

"How did you find us? Never mind maybe I don't want to know."

Kentaro always worked on a need to know basis. Nambu sometimes wondered what he didn't know. What he did know was scary enough.. Nambu had learned long ago not to question or ask about his methods.

"I wouldn't tell you even if I could. "Kentaro scolded.

"I know--I know-- then you'd have to kill me." Nambu intoned dramatically.

Kentaro laughed softly.

Still he had not been able to determine who the mole was. He would not reveal his agent's name until this was over. Nambu reluctantly agreed and changed the topic to more general conversation.

Nambu poured them both cordials as they sat in large chairs before a burning fire.

Kentaro was lost in thought.

After over twenty years in exile and hiding, he wanted the routine things in life. For so many years he had thrived on the thrill and excitement. He had made his choices and done his duty. He had done what was needed. The price had been high though.

Sometimes it seemed too high. He wondered now had it been worth it?

He shook himself from his reverie. Introspection was never one of his habits. In his line of work, thinking or feeling too much could be deadly. It was essentially a useless exercise. He couldn't change anything anyway.

He sighed "It must be the liquor." he thought.

"What will you do next my friend? You know you have a place here." Nambu asked handing Kentaro a drink.

"Maybe that son of mine will finally give me some grandchildren to bounce on my knee." Kentaro said wistfully.

Nambu laughed as he caught Kentaro's tone. "You, acting as the happy doting grandfather?" He ribbed Kentaro.

"I'm tired Kozi. It's time for this old spy to come in from the cold." Kentaro sighed.

"I just want to walk down the street without looking over my shoulder all the time."

Kentaro leaned back in the chair closing his eyes as the liquor mellowed him. He allowed himself this one indulgence knowing at least tonight he was safe.

Nambu studied his old friend as he fell into a light doze. He was startled how tired and worn he looked. He realized suddenly that the decision they made all those years ago had come at a horrible price.

Kentaro dozed in his chair, while Nambu watched. Who would have ever imagined it would turned out as it did, certainly not them in their youth. He smiled remembering all the times they had carried each other home from one dive or another. All the grand plans they had for each other. Now his friend simply wanted his life back, and maybe a few grandchildren to enjoy.

"Come on old man." Nambu stated shaking Kentaro. "You're too big..."

Nambu was shaken as Kentaro came flying out of his chair his hands on Nambu's throat before he was even fully awake. He released Nambu, apologizing as he realized where he was.

"Sorry, Kozi. It's not a good idea to startle..." Kentaro started to apologize.

Nambu waved the apology away stopping him.

Silently Nambu vowed his friend would have his life back as he

placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know better old friend. I just forgot. " He said smiling. "You always were disagreeable waking up anyway."

"You're one to talk." Kentaro replied laughing. "I think I'm done for the night."

Nambu agreed and led them to their rooms for the night.


End file.
